A Series of Moments
by starrnobella
Summary: Life is made up of a series of moments. Some of them are good. Some of them are bad and some are even sad. What makes life so wonderful however is how those moments add up and the memories that live in the hearts of those involved forever. (Lost Letters of Love: The Story)
1. Prologue

**A/N:** When I started writing Lost Letters of Love, I had contemplated writing the actual story that went a long with the letters and newspaper articles that I had been writing. For a long while I pushed it aside because I had a lot of other projects I was working on. Then one day the idea struck me after writing Bell of the Ball of how to tie that story into Lost Letters, which then led to this story.

I am happy to be introducing A Series of Moments. I cannot promise that it will be a a completely happy tale throughout the story, but I can promise that it will go along with the letters. I will try to let you know which one the chapter corresponds to in the Author's Note each time. Also as you read, pay attention to the dates at the top of the section. This will be my first time using these so we'll see how it goes together!

I do not have a writing schedule for this yet because I'm not sure how long it will take me to write the chapters, but I am very excited to share with you the Prologue.

Bell of the Ball and Lost Letters of Love are capable of being read as standalone stories as well as A Series of Moments. However if you are interested in reading them in order it would be Bell of the Ball and then this story. You can pick up the letters as you go or read a head to get an idea of what's coming next.

 **Disclaimer:** I own nothing except the plot of these wonderful stories. The characters all belong to J. K. Rowling.

A special thank you to _xxDustNight88_ for helping me work through the issue of being stuck I was having with this section. An additional thank you to _k-lynne317_ for alpha reading this for me before I posted. I love you both very much!

I love reading the reviews that you all leave and they are the big reason that I keep doing what I am doing.

Love always,  
~starr

* * *

 _~ One Month after_ _Bell_ _of_ _the_ _Ball ~_

The weeks following their kiss under the mistletoe at the Yule Ball seemed to fly by. Draco and Hermione were so busy with their studies that they barely had time to spend with one another. A gentle touch of the hand as they entered class. A chaste kiss in the corridors just minutes before curfew. A sidelong glance as they studied in Head Student common room. Just a series of brief moments throughout the week.

Draco was tired of not being able to spend time with Hermione. They hadn't really talked about their situation since that night. At that time they had decided to just see where things took them. Well, as of late, it had taken them nowhere.

So Draco decided that tonight he was going to talk to Hermione about what they were going forward. They were a month out from exams and he knew that Hermione would be spending every free moment she had studying for her N.E.W.T.S. and the other tests she needed to take to work in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. This meant that Draco would see much less of her. Then an idea struck him.

He could ask her to help him study for his N.E.W.T.S. and help him prepare for the three years of Auror training he would undergo if he could score high enough on his test. With Hermione as a tutor, there was no way he could fail. Plus it would mean that he got to spend more time with her. That could lead to them talking about more than just school.

Popping his head into the common room from his bedroom door, Draco smiled slyly when he spotted Hermione hunched over at the desk scribbling away on a piece of parchment. Her wild curly mane was pinned back with quills to keep it from falling in her face and he could see a few pearls of sweat beading up on her forehead. She was starting to panic. She needed a break. He knew that was his cue to step in and hopefully bring her back off the edge she was nearing.

"Granger, take a break. The books will still be there in a little while," Draco remarked as he walked over towards the desk and peered over her shoulder, "Geez. Think you've taken enough notes?"

"What do you want, Draco?" Hermione huffed, rolling her eyes as she sat her quill down. She turned her head slightly to look up at him. She smiled softly when she saw his slate grey eyes looking at her sweetly.

Draco grinned when his eyes met hers. He leaned forward and gently pressed his lips to hers. An even greater smile forming on his lips as he felt her melt into the kiss. The brief connection was more contact than the pair had shared in months.

"What was that for?" Hermione blushed as she turned more in the chair to face him.

Draco shrugged as he carded his hand through his hair, "Dunno. I do know that I've missed kissing you though. I feel like I haven't seen you in forever."

Hermione hung her head and nodded, "I've missed kissing you too. I've just been so busy with studying and head girl duties, and…"

Draco chuckled as he listened to her ramble. It was sweet to hear that she missed kissing him, but of course she followed it up with reason why they hadn't been doing so. Reasons that didn't need to be there.

"What are you snickering at?" Hermione snarled popping her head back up as she glared at him, pulling Draco's attention back towards her out of his thoughts.

"You," he replied simply. His face beaming with pride in his answer. That was until the wind was knocked out of him when Hermione smacked him in the chest.

"Hey!" Draco pouted as he rubbed his chest where she had hit him, "That was unnecessary."

"What was I doing that was so funny?" Hermione asked unamused with his fake pain. She crossed her arms over her chest, waiting for his answer, "Well?"

"I just thought it was funny that you said you missed kissing me too and then followed that up with a bunch of reasons why we hadn't been snogging our lips off," Draco explained as he reached out to caress Hermione's cheek gently, "I just wish we would have spent more time together before exams got so close…"

Hermione's face softened as he spoke. She wished for that too. She also wished that she would have found out how great of a kisser he was before she had dated Ron. She was still reeling from the last fight that the pair had had just nights before the Yule Ball.

" _Why the bloody hell did you buy an emerald green dress, 'Mione?" Ron yelled as he stormed into her bedroom from the common room where the couple had been studying for their potions exam._

" _What does it matter, Ronald?" Hermione asked, "A dress is a dress. The color means nothing."_

 _Hermione rolled her eyes as she plopped down on her bed. This was a usual Friday afternoon for her since she and Ron had began dating after the war. She'd listen to him blow up over something so minor for an hour and he'd storm away from her. Then within forty-five minutes of him slamming her bedroom door behind him, he'd be back knocking on her door quietly asking for permission to come in. They'd sit down and talk. He'd apologize. She'd forgive him. They would kiss and make-up. It would be like nothing hurtful was said._

 _However this time was not going to be like all the other Friday afternoon fights. She'd let him storm out, but he wasn't getting back in. If he left, then this time they were done. She was tired of dealing with his temper._

" _You're a Gryffindor, Hermione! That's what matters!" Ron blurted tossing his hands in the air, "You aren't some slimy Slytherin who wears green and all it's obnoxious shades."_

" _Obnoxious shades?" Hermione scoffed, "That's the best you could come up with?"_

 _Ron carded his hands through his hair. He was frustrated and Hermione could tell. He was sick of fighting with Hermione, but he couldn't for the life of him figure out why she had begun befriending the slimiest of all Slytherins, Draco Malfoy._

" _Why have you been befriending Ferret-face?" Ron asked exasperatedly looking at Hermione, who was sitting on her bed with her arms crossed over her chest with a smug look on her face._

" _You mean Draco?" she corrected, quirking her eyebrow in disgust._

" _You aren't even calling him Malfoy. What the hell is wrong with you? He's not worth calling by the first name. Once a damn Death Eater, always a fucking Death Eater. What the bloody hell has gotten into you?" Ron grumbled._

" _Get out!" Hermione hissed, standing up from the bed and pointing towards her door._

" _What?" Ron asked confused by the sudden change in her persona._

" _You heard me!" she yelled, "Get the fuck out and don't come back!"_

" _Hermione," Ron pleaded taking a step towards. She took a step back away from him and shook her head._

" _We're done," she replied coldly, "Now leave."_

 _Ron looked at her dumbfounded. This was the first time she had ever kicked him out during one of their fights. He tried to take another step towards her, but she stepped away from him yet again and pointed towards the door. No words said._

 _He hung his head and left without another word. Once the door had closed behind him, Hermione crashed onto her bed and began sobbing._

Memories of that night still flooded her mind especially at night when she couldn't sleep. Of course, she was still friends with Harry and Ginny, but she hadn't spoken to Ron since that fight. She knew that they would never last. It was just the flash of the cameras and the praises sung of heroes that brought them together. Behind the praise and honor, there stood no hope for them as anything more than friends. Currently there was no chance as friends either.

However, here she was now in the common room with Draco Malfoy. The same Draco Malfoy whom she had kissed behind the secrecy of a mask at the annual Yule Ball. The same Draco Malfoy whom she had just shared a sweet, soft kiss with in the middle of their common room. The same Draco Malfoy whom she stole kisses and soft touches from any chance they were alone in the corridors. The same Draco Malfoy whom Ron referred to as a Death Eater. The last nail in the coffin for her and Ron's relationship.

"Hello?" Draco asked as he waved his hand infront of her face. "What's going on in the head of yours?"

Hermione shook her head, shoving the thoughts of Ron aside. "Oh, just innocent thinking. Did you need something from me when you came in here?"

"I was wondering if you'd help me study for my N.E.W.T.s. I figured I was bound to pass with flying colors if I had you as a tutor," he said with a sweet smile on his face.

"I suppose I could be inclined to help you study," Hermione hummed with a smirk, "But what's in it for me?"

"You'd be spending quality time with me of course," Draco responded proudly as he puffed up his chest.

Hermione laughed. "Well pull up a seat. We've got a lot of work to do."

Here their educational and emotional relationship began to develop. They began to understand each other on a deeper level. The pair studied together each night up until the beginning of exams and they celebrated as the exams came to end. Both of them passing with the highest of scores. Hermione's were, of course, just a little bit higher than Draco's.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

 _~Three Months Later~_

With graduation from Hogwarts right around the corner, Draco didn't want to lose the special bond that he and Hermione had formed, especially when he left for Auror training and she began her internship with the MLE. He wanted a chance to get to know her on an even deeper level. Also he didn't want to lose his cheerleader when things got tough for him.

The night before graduation Hermione found an envelope folded neatly on her pillow. Her name scrolled across it in the finest penmanship she had ever seen. She knew right away who it was from after the hours she had spent watching him copy her notes that he needed to study for his exams.

 _Hermione,_

 _Would you like to have dinner with me tonight at the Three Broomsticks?_

 _Yes No_

 _Draco_

Hermione smiled as she quickly grabbed one of her quills and circled her response. She assumed that the note was enchanted in some way, so he already knew her answer. In fact, she was proven correct when a new note appeared at the bottom.

 _I'll come knocking for you at 8._

Draco released the breath he had been holding since he slipped the note onto her pillow. He had been so nervous all evening while waiting for her to find it. He was too busy being afraid that she would say no that he had forgotten to think about what would happen if she said yes. Now he had to make himself presentable, rather than the mess of a man he currently was as he laid face down sprawled out across his bed.

"Pull yourself together Malfoy," he scolded himself, "It's just a date. It's not like you've never gone out with a girl before."

It was true. He had been on many dates. Although, none of them seemed to have as much at stake as this one tonight. Usually dinner was just a courtesy to get the young witch he was after to invite him back to her room to cap off the evening. Not tonight however. Tonight was about asking Hermione to be his girlfriend for the long haul, not just a quick end of the year fling.

Burying his face into the pillow in front of him momentarily, Draco pushed himself up from the bed and went to begin getting ready. He had a little over an hour before he needed to meet Hermione.

Hermione checked the clock one last time. _7:50 pm_. She still had plenty of time. All she had to do was slip her shoes on and wait. His note said he would come knocking, so she didn't want to spoil his fun by waiting for him in the common room. Her nerves were scattered all over the place. She was excited to finally get the chance to spend some time with Draco that was not restricted to studying, but at the same time she was also nervous. This was her first date since separating from Ron. She didn't want to get her hopes up for tonight, but there was always going to be a piece of her hoping for more.

She slipped into her shoes and sat patiently at her desk waiting for the faint knock upon her door. Her heart was racing a mile a minute. She tried taking a few deep breaths to calm herself down, but the excitement and nerves were far too much her to handle all at once. She closed her eyes and began repeating the quiet mantra to herself that had been helping her curb her anxiety since the war.

"It's only a moment," Hermione whispered. She paused a moment to exhale the breath she held before inhaling as she repeated the phrase. This was becoming a part of her everyday routine. It wasn't something that she was proud of, but it was something that she had to deal with.

A soft knocking at her door drew her back out of her thoughts. She smiled to herself as she walked over to open her door.

A new adventure waiting to unfold.

A new series of moments ready to begin.


	2. Things Are Changing

**A/N:** So I'll start this off by saying that I cannot promise I will update within a week every time. I actually ended up splitting the original version of this chapter in half because of some minor details that I wanted to fit in along the way.

We still aren't into the letters yet. There are just a few other details that need to be put into place before we can really start looking at the stories behind those letters.

Thank you for the reviews, kudos, favorites, comments, follows and bookmarks from the Prologue. I do hope that you enjoy this chapter as well.

If you enjoy the chapter, please leave a review. Reviews always make my day!

Love always,  
~starr

* * *

 _~ May 2002 ~_

"Move in with me," Draco said, peering back over his shoulder at Hermione, who was sitting on the bed. She was slipping the sling of her heel over the back of her foot as he finished adjusting the Windsor knot of his tie in the mirror.

Hermione quirked her eyebrow at him after securing her shoe in place. Sure, she spent most of her time here anyways, but they had only been dating a few years. They had never talked about living together. Their schedules were as crazy as ever, but they still made time to see each other. Between trainings and classes, they were lucky they saw each other at all.

"What?" she asked standing up and brushing her hands over her dress before walking over the doorway to the bathroom. She smiled when she saw Draco's reflection smiling at her in the mirror as he adjusted his tie again.

He spun around and leaned against the counter. The smile still beaming brightly upon his face as he rested his hands on the counter on either side of his waist.

"Move in with me," he repeated slowly as he took in the beauty that she was. The emerald green dress clung to every curve of her body in the most beautiful way. He couldn't believe how lucky he was to have her in his life.

"You want me to move in here?" she questioned as she crossed her arms over her chest. She hadn't missed how handsome he looked. She loved when he got all dressed up. Also, she couldn't deny that she hadn't thought about them living together often.

Draco nodded his head. "I'd like it if you did. You're here every night as it is. Half the clothes in the closet are yours. It makes sense to me that you and the rest of your stuff be here too."

Draco began fussing with his tie again as he waited for Hermione to say something. He could have sworn this was more nerve wracking than when he asked her out on a date three years ago. She was good at making him wait for the answer he wanted to hear.

Hermione watched him as he fidgeted with his tie. He was nervous. She stepped forward and gently pushed his hands away from his tie. She straightened the tie from the knot down and rested a hand on his chest.

"We've never talked about living together," she said softly, looking up at him through her eyelashes, a soft smile on her face.

Draco looked down at her and he smiled. He placed a hand on the small of her back and the other on her waist pulling her into him, eliminating the space between them.

"Are not most of your work clothes in my closet right now?" he asked. Hermione nodded.

"We've never properly talked about any piece of our relationship," he smirked, placing a soft kiss on her forehead, "So what do you say?"

He leaned back so he could see her face. She might not always say what she was thinking right away, but he could always find insight when he looked deep into her chocolate eyes. That is when she let him.

Hermione closed her eyes momentarily. She knew what he was doing and she didn't want to give anything away. She went up on her tiptoes and captured his lips with hers momentarily before leaning back away from him and opening her eyes. A smile danced across her lips as she spoke, "We'll have to swing by my flat after the ceremony to pick up a few things."

Draco's eyes lit up as he quirked his head as he spoke, "Does that mean…?"

Hermione laughed as she placed a quick kiss on his cheek before walking back into the bedroom to finish getting ready for his Auror ceremony. She looked around the room and smiled. She could definitely adapt to living here from now on.

"Come on then, we don't want to be late," she called as she headed downstairs.

. . . . . . . .

 _~August 2002~_

She sat at the table, staring at an unopened envelope addressed to her. The return address read the Ministry of Magic. She knew that it could only be one of two things. A "Congratulations! You got the job" letter, or a "Thank you for applying, but we have chosen to hire someone else" letter. One letter would make all her dreams come true, and the other would send her into a depressive spiral, causing all of her hopes and dreams to come crashing down.

The internship she did with the Department of Magical Law Enforcement couldn't have gone any better, so there was no reason to be worried. However, her mind loved working in overdrive giving her a million and one reasons that she would get shot down for the position that opened up within the department.

She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't hear the roar of the floo as Draco came home from the office. In fact, she never heard him come into the kitchen and stand beside her.

"Hey, love," Draco said happily leaning down to place a gentle kiss atop her head causing her to jump out of her seat in a panic. Her head snapping so quickly to see who was there that it caused her to reach a hand up to rub her neck.

"Don't sneak up on me like that!" she exclaimed clutching her other hand to her chest closing her eyes momentarily, "You nearly gave me a heart attack."

Draco pulled his lower lip into his mouth and bit down in an attempt to hide his amusement as he kneeled down wrapping a cautious arm around her shoulders. She turned her head into his shoulder allowing him to wrap his other arm around her. He squeezed her tightly and placed soft kisses along her temple.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sneak up on you. I thought you heard the floo when I came through," he whispered. He could feel her shaking her head against his chest before he heard her speak.

"I never heard the Floo. I'm sorry I yelled at you," she mumbled as she slowly leaned back in her seat to look at him.

"It's okay," he replied quietly as he released his tight hold on her, "Are you okay?"

The concern was very evident in Draco's eyes as Hermione examined the features of his face. The soft creases forming at the corner of his icy slate colored eyes that seemed to appear when he was especially worried about her. He was used to her occasional panics when things got too stressful for her, and he knew exactly what to say and do to help her calm down. It made her smile to know that she was loved so much by someone who she loved deeply as well. Moving in with him was one of the best decisions of her life.

Slowly, she nodded her head, "It'll depend on what that letter says." She motioned towards the table with her head. Draco's eyes trailing from her face to the table where the hefty envelope was lying unopened.

He turned back to her and kissed her on the cheek, "No matter what it says, it'll be okay. Besides, you know what they say about people who get the big envelopes…"

Hermione saw the smile on his face out of the corner of her eye as she stared at the table and started to laugh. She realized how silly she was being about this whole thing. Big envelopes were always a good thing, and she knew that.

"Hey," Draco said quietly, placing a tentative hand on on her chin, turning her attention to him, "Wanna open it together?"

"Promise you won't be disappointed if I didn't get the job?" she asked causing Draco to laugh as he nodded his head. Slowly, she reached out her hand and grabbed the letter off the table. Opening it even slower, she began to read the contents of the letter aloud.

 _Dear Ms. Granger,_

 _It is with great pride that I write this letter to you today. Congratulations on your new employment with the Department of Magical Law Enforcement…_

She and Draco jumped up from where they were with a cheer of excitement as Hermione dropped the letter back on the table. Draco wrapped his arms around her waist, picked her up off the ground spinning her around. When he set her back down on the ground, he crashed his lips into hers keeping his firm grasp around her waist.

"I guess this means we're co-workers now," Draco said with a wink after the kiss.

"I guess so. Someday I'll be your boss," Hermione replied proudly as she picked up the letter once again. A smile beaming from her face as she read it to herself once again.

. . . . . . . .

 _~ December 2005 ~_

They were getting ready to travel to the Malfoy Manor for Narcissa's annual Christmas party. The presents were for Narcissa and Lucius, along with one present for each other, were packed in the boot of their car. Hermione looked around the living room one last time making sure that they weren't forgetting anything. They'd only be gone for a few hours, but by the looks of their car it looked as though they were going away for a long weekend. A person has to be prepared for anything when they stepped foot into the Manor.

"We don't have to go," Draco said as he watched Hermione from where he was leaning against the door.

Hermione shook her head adamantly, "No. We told your mother we would be there."

"Okay," Draco replied walking over to wrap his arms around her pulling her close to his chest. "It'll be okay. We won't stay late," he whispered as he kissed the top of her head.

Hermione nodded against his chest as a small smile grew on her face. He always knew just what to say to make her feel better. She didn't think that things could get any better than they were right this second. She leaned back and kissed him softly on the lips. As she went to walk away, Draco took her hand and pulling her attention back to him.

"Something wrong?" she asked quickly, impending worry lurking in the back of her mind.

Draco shook his head, "Nothing's wrong. I just have something important I wanted to talk to you about before we left."

Hermione quirked her eyebrow at him as she stepped towards him and he took both of her hands in his. He brought them to his lips and placed a gentle kiss on each one before looking up at her with a smile on his face.

"I love you, Hermione," he said.

"I love you too, Draco," she replied in turn. She knew that either something very good was about to happen or else he had some very bad news. Anytime he had news, good or bad, the conversation always started the same.

"You make me happier than I've ever been and you challenge me to become the greatest version of myself that I can because I want to be the man that you deserve. Although, there's one thing that would make me the happiest man in the world," he paused as he got down on one knee in front of her and pulled a small black velvet box out of his jacket pocket. Hermione clasped a hand over her mouth as tears began to well up in the corners of her eyes.

Draco took a deep breath before opening the box and looked up at Hermione with a smile as he spoke, "Hermione Jean Granger, would you make me the luckiest man in the world by marrying me?"

. . . . . . . .

 _~ June 2007 ~_

The music began to play. Draco was standing in the front end of the aisle, Hermione could see him from the cove that she had been hiding in. He looked so handsome. She couldn't believe how lucky she was that today she was going to marry him. The man who was making all her dreams come true.

She was brushing down the tulle of her dress for the umpteenth time when Harry stepped into her little cove with a smile on his face. It was the first time he had seen her in the dress.

"You look beautiful, Hermione. Malfoy is a lucky man," he said proudly offering her a hand, "Are you ready?"

Hermione nodded as she took his hand with a smile on her face.

"Are you sure? I can apparate out of here in a second if that's what you want," Harry warned quirking his brow.

"I'm sure, Harry. He makes me happy," Hermione laughed.

"You just say that word," Harry replied with a wink as they walked out of the cove as the music began to play and the crowd stood.

As Harry walked her down the aisle, her eyes met with Draco's. She watched as he rolled his shoulders in an attempt to shake off the whelm of emotions that had overcome him upon seeing his beautiful bride walking towards him. She smiled softly as she tried to hold back the laughter that was bubbling up inside.

She pawned it off to nerves, but she knew it was a response to how Draco was feeling. He didn't show his emotions to anyone other than her and such a public display would be detrimental in his mind, so he was doing everything he could to stop it in it's tracks.

Harry kissed her softly on the cheek when the reached the end of the aisle and whispered, "Just say the word, I promise."

Hermione laughed and smacked him lightly on the shoulder. He turned his attention to Draco and shook his hand firmly before returning to his seat.

Draco took Hermione's hand in his and walked to stand in front of the minister. They held hands for the entirety of the ceremony, never wanting to lose that simple connection.

. . . . . . . .

Finally able to get a moment to themselves, Hermione and Draco slipped away to their honeymoon suite. They shared a brief kiss before Hermione took a seat on the bed and looked at Draco as he shed his suit jacket. She just watched with a dreamy look on her face. Draco happened to catch her staring out of the corner of his eye.

"See something you like?" he questioned slyly as he turned on his heels and walked towards where she was seated, laughing as she nodded her head. He leaned down capturing her lips with his, sliding his tongue along her lower lip before slipping inside when granted permission, compliments of a moan escaping her lips.

"What was that for?" she whispered as she rested her forehead against his with a smile playing at her lips.

"Just because," he replied with another quick kiss, "Did you want help getting out of that?"

He quirked his eyebrow as he asked. His voice dripping with desire for his beautiful wife, a wicked grin as evidence on his face.

"In a minute," she said, "I want to ask you something first."

" _Okay…_ " Draco sighed as he sat down beside her, "Should I be concerned?"

Hermione laughed, "No. I just wanted to know what you thought of me keeping my maiden name at work."

"Oh," Draco replied scratching his head, "I guess I hadn't really thought about it."

He quirked his head to the side as he thought about it for a moment. He could see why she would want to do such a thing. She would go a lot further professionally if she kept her maiden name. Being a Malfoy was not as glorious as it may have seemed to be.

Hermione watched him as he thought it over. She knew it wasn't an easy topic to think about, in fact that's why she waited so long to bring it up to him. As she waited for his answer, she bit her bottom lip and drug her teeth along it. An action she had been doing for ages. An action that caused Draco to pop his head straight up and look deep into her chocolate colored eyes.

"That's my job," he hissed as he watched her repeat the action again. A smile growing on her lips and desire flooding her eyes.

"Mrs. Malfoy at home and Ms. Granger at work," he mused stroking his chin, "It'd be like I'm sleeping with two different woman. I like it!"

He winked at her, crashing his lips into hers with bruising force before she could say a word.


	3. It's Our Lucky Day

**A/N:** Here is Chapter 2 for you lovely folks! Next chapter we will finally be getting into the letters! (YAY!)

I want to give a special shout out to delightfullyscreechingtyrant for your lovely reviews! The one of Chapter 1 made my day because my students were a tiny bit annoying lol!

As always if you like the chapter, please leave a review! I know I would greatly appreciate it!

Love always,  
~starr

* * *

 _~March 2008~_

"Miss Granger, may I speak with you a moment?" Corban Yaxley asked upon knocking on her office door, dragging Hermione's attention from her desk.

"Of course, Mr. Yaxley. Please come in," Hermione replied with a smile as she moved some files around on her desk, "Have a seat."

Corban returned the smile as he pulled out the chair and took a seat, "Thank you."

"Of course, Mr. Yaxley. What can I do for you?" she asked as she closed another file and set it off to the side, devoting her full attention back to the gentleman seated in front of her.

Corban leaned back in the chair and crossed his right leg over his left, grabbing a hold of his knee as he spoke, "Let me start out by saying that since you've joined our team, I have seen major improvements in the efficiency of our closing rate for cases. Myself and the Minister have been very impressed with all of the work that you have done since day one..."

Hermione's mind began racing as Corban spoke. She was thinking about all of the places in this job that she hadn't done her best or days that she just wasn't working up to par with her own normal standard of work. She was reminding herself of all the ways she had cut corners too. Her worst fear was disappointing someone who was counting on her and her mind was convincing her that that was what was happening right now.

"We would like to offer you a promotion," Corban finished his speech. He furrowed his brow when he realized the Hermione may not have heard what he had said, "Miss Granger."

She shook her head to refocus herself and looked at him apologetically, "I'm sorry, Mr. Yaxley I must have spaced out momentarily. You were saying?"

She rubbed her hands along the top of her thighs in an attempt to dry off the sweat that had started to accumulate. She hated her nervous system on days like this. It made things even more awkward, especially when she was expected to shake hands with the person she was talking with upon the conclusion of their conversations.

"We'd like to offer you a promotion within the Department of Magical Law Enforcement," Corban repeated proudly.

Hermione couldn't believe her ears. She thought it was pure luck when she got the internship with the department, let alone when she got her job here. Now they were offering her a promotion. The shock had to be evident on her face.

"What would I be doing?" she asked excitedly.

Corban laughed a bit when he noticed the display of excitement upon her face. He couldn't remember the last time someone smiled after a conversation alone with him. Usually people ended up very upset because they had just gotten fired, this was nice for a change.

"You would be in charge of the Aurors. We used to have Head Aurors, but we have yet to see anyone in the current group that have the qualities we normally look for. You would assign them their cases, have them report to you when they run into issues or gain insight into older cases, and maintain the same level of professionalism and efficiency that you've shown in this position," he told her.

She couldn't wait to tell Draco about this when she got home. He'd be so proud of her and then hopefully it would click in his mind that she was now his boss. She could just picture his face when she told him. It would be priceless.

"Of course it would come with a raise in pay and a change in title. Are you interested Ms. Granger?" Corban asked,

"Absolutely," she replied immediately, "It would be such an honor, Mr. Yaxley."

He extended a hand to her as he rose from his chair, "Please, Ms. Granger, call me Corban. It's our pleasure to have you on board the staff."

Hermione happily took his hand, "Please, call me Hermione. I'm very excited for the opportunity."

Corban smiled at her and bid farewell since she had a lot of work to accomplish. He made sure to send a notice around the office letting everyone know what changes were being put into place.

. . . . . . . .

A light rapping at her office door drew Hermione's attention away from her computer later that afternoon. A familiar blond head peering inside brought a smile to her face.

"Hey, you," she said sweetly, "What are you doing here?"

Draco stepped inside the door quickly, pulling it shut behind him with a smile upon his face, "I heard from a little birdie that you got some good news today."

Hermione laughed as he walked over to her desk and placed a kiss on the top of her head before plopping down in the chair by her desk. She couldn't believe how quickly word spread around the office. She had only agreed to accepting the position little more than two hours ago.

She nodded her head slowly, "Yes I did. Does the little birdie have a name?"

Draco shook his head and laughed, "Nope. It was just flying around the office squawking about someone getting good news today. It think it's exact words were _Granger got promoted_."

Hermione laughed out loud at his comment while rolling her eyes at his description, "Yes I did get a promotion. I was going to tell you at lunch, but I got distracted by the mass amount of work that got dropped on my desk after I said yes to the promotion. You lot require a lot of extra paperwork"

"Ah I see," Draco replied nodding his head slowly up and down as he mulled over her statement, "I guess that means I'm sleeping with my boss, huh?"

"I guess so," Hermione quipped wagging her finger at him playfully, "But don't think that I'll go easier on you."

Draco reached out, grabbed her finger, and interlaced his hand with hers, "I wouldn't expect it any other way."

. . . . . . . .

 _~December 2017~_

"It is my great pleasure to announce the team of researchers who will be working closely by my side for the foreseeable future," Kingsley Shacklebolt announced to the crowd gathered in the lobby of the Ministry. Everyone who was anyone was in attendance. Snapping pictures, recording the speech, and even jotting down notes. It was the even of the year, next to the annual Christmas Party.

Hermione looked around the room. Her eyes grazing across a field of people. Most of whom she did not know by anything other than their byline in the Daily Prophet. However, there were a few faces that did stand out in the crowd. She smiled when she saw her team of Aurors that she worked so closely with for the last nine years. All of them smiling at her as they listened to Kingsley's speech.

After this ceremony she would be heading over to listen to the announcements made about the installment of a Head Auror. The way she managed to get everything set up in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement made it so that it could become a self-sufficient unit that did not need someone managing the team of them. Hermione knew who would be taking getting the position. In fact she was the one to recommend that it be reinstated. She still couldn't believe she was leaving them.

She looked at the faces of her friends in the crowd. Harry, Neville, and Draco all stood with smiles beaming, proud of her and her accomplishments. Deep down, she hoped that they would all be okay with the decision she had made with who she thought should get the position. Knowing the three of them, it would be okay. It was the other Aurors whose reactions worried her, Ron in particular.

She and Ron had been on minimal speaking terms since she got the internship with MLE. Nothing more than a passing hello and good-bye. When she got the full-time job there, she was required to talk to him more than she had hoped because it had the sloppiest handwriting she had ever seen. As she would try to transfer the data he collected from the paper reports to the digital ones, she could barely decipher them which meant she had to call him into her office and have him translate them.

Those conversations she could tolerate because all she had to do was listen to him read off what he had written. After she got her promotion, the conversations with Ron had become more often as did conversations with all of the Aurors in general. However conversations with Ron were the only ones that ever ended up in a heated debate, which meant that she did not have the conversations alone at the request of Yaxley and the Minister. Her assigned Auror was Draco.

" _Why is he here?" Ron snarled as he walked into Hermione's office one afternoon._

" _Because I asked him to be here," Hermione responded calmly as she looked from Draco to Ron as the two men took a seat. Ron in front of her desk and Draco on the couch off to the side of her office._

" _Why?" he hissed._

" _Because she wanted to have someone else in the room," Draco told him sternly. Ron just rolled his eyes as he crossed his arms over his chest._

" _You're just here because you're fucking her," he mumbled as he stared at his shoes._

" _He's here because the Minister and Yaxley asked him to be here in the hopes that this conversation will stick instead of you blowing it off like you have the last fifteen times we've had it," Hermione yelled as she stood up from her desk glaring at him, "Now…"_

Hermione shuddered as she thought over that conversation with Ron. She couldn't believe he was still so bitter over their break-up that he felt it was appropriate to say such things at their place of work. She could only hope that he would lay off the attitude when she was no longer his boss.

The Head Auror wouldn't necessarily be his boss, but they would be the person that any issues in the field got reported to when they occurred. There was a very small part of her that thought she shouldn't have taken the position in the Minister's office only because of the issues she could see arising with the Head Auror she had chosen. However, the decision had been made and the boys would all just have to suck it up and deal with it.

"Leading this team is one of the most professional, efficient, friendliest, most trustworthy people I have ever had the pleasure of working with, Hermione Granger," Kingsley announced before stepping away from the microphone leading the crowd in an applause. When it had quieted back down, he asked, "Would you like to say a few words?"

"Thank you, Minister," Hermione said stepping towards the podium, "I know we all have a lot going on today, so I'll do my best to keep this quick. I am honored to take this position with the Minister, but I will miss my position with Magical Law Enforcement. I have made many friends there and I worked with a lot of great people. However, I know the department will do just fine without me."

She looked over to where the Aurors were all seated, smiled at them, and continued, "Thank you all. You made this job more entertaining than it was probably supposed to be. Although you could have made it a bit less stressful. All joking aside though, I loved my job with you all. As I said before this new position within the Ministry is a great honor and I am excited to see where it takes me. Thank you."

Hermione stepped back from the podium as the applause roared from the crowd once again. She smiled softly and waved as the Minister took back the podium dismissing the crowd until later.

. . . . . . . .

Hermione watched in awe as Kingsley Shacklebolt spoke to the press and crowd gathered for the second time that day. She sat proudly beside Corban behind where the Minister was speaking. Corban had asked her to reveal to the Aurors and the public who they were promoting to the position that Hermione had organized.

She smiled as her gaze travelled over her team of Aurors. Each of them were completely capable of being in charge and running the division. However, between Hermione, Corban and Kingsley they had chosen the one whom they believed was the best suited for the job in terms of efficiency and temperament.

"At this time, I would like to invite Hermione Granger to the podium to announce who has been named as Head Auror for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement," Kingsley said turning to invite her up to the stand.

"Thank you, Minister. I want to take a second to thank everyone who has come out for this announcement today. All of these gentlemen are more than capable to to be in this position and they all deserve to be honored for their commitment to the department. There is one man, however, that the Minister, Mr. Yaxley, and myself believe is the best fit for the job," Hermione said smiling brightly. The crowd was silent as they waited for her to say a name. There had been speculations of course, but no one knew for sure. The anticipation was surely killing them all.

Hermione took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she lowered her head momentarily whispering to herself, "It's only a moment." She still wasn't quite used to all of the focus being on her for an extended period of time. This was going to have to be a feeling that she got used to with the new job that she was embarking on today.

"It is with great pleasure that I announce this name," Hermione continued raising her head after a moment, "We would like to congratulate Draco Malfoy on being named Head Auror in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

Hermione began the round of applause as she stepped back from the podium momentarily. A proud smile beaming from her face as she watched the shock spread over Draco's face. It had been hard enough to keep the secret from Draco when they came to a decision, let alone when she found out she got the honor of making the announcement.

Draco looked at her in shock. He knew that he was well liked by Corban and the Minister, but he always thought that his less than shiny past was going to be enough to take his name out of the running. He was honestly expecting Harry to be named to the position, partially because he was 'The Chosen One," but also because he was so well liked by all.

The reception of the crowd was greater than expected. There was cheering and clapping all around. Hermione did notice out of the corner of her eye Ron slipping out the door towards the back of the hall. She knew that he was going to be upset by the news, but she had hoped he would have been mature enough to remain in the room and congratulate Draco on such a wonderful accomplishment.

When the applause died down, Hermione stepped up to the microphone once again, "Draco, would you like to say a few words?"

Draco nodded and walked up to the stage. He shook hands with the Minister and with Corban. He also extended a hand to Hermione. Their deal was to keep things on a professional level at work, no matter where they were. She happily shook his hand and then stepped off to the side. A smile still beaming upon her face.

"Thank you, Ms. Granger. Minister. Mr. Yaxley," he started turning his head to look at each of them and then back to the crowd, "I am so honored to have been chosen for this position. I know that Ms. Granger has worked very hard over the last nine years getting our department up and running to her level of expectation. It has required a lot of work on her part, but it eliminated a lot of the headache on our part. And let me tell you, she sets the bar very high. All joking aside, I know that everyone is expecting a lot from me and I have every intention of reaching those expectations. Thank you once again."

Draco bid farewell to the crowd quickly and stepped back beside Hermione as the Minister stepped forward to thank everyone for their attendance. He reached down and interlaced his fingers with hers and squeezed tight. After everyone had left, he turned his attention to his team of researchers and the team of Aurors and told them to go home and relax for the rest of the day. They all deserved it. Draco and Hermione smiled at each other as they left the office hand in hand.

. . . . . . . .

"To the new power couple of the Ministry of Magic!" Harry cheered as he raised his glass to the crowd gathered at the Leaky Cauldron. He wrapped his other arm around Ginny's waist as he led the cheer for his two good friends.

"Here, here!" everyone chimed in. Hermione and Draco laughing as they clinked glasses before downing the the shot of firewhiskey Harry had purchased for each of them. They shared a small kiss before Draco walked from their couch over to the bar to order them each an additional drink.

Ginny plopped herself down beside Hermione almost immediately after Draco had vacated the spot. A smile beaming brightly from her face which caused Hermione to laugh when she realized her friend had joined her.

"So," Ginny said giddily.

"So?" Hermione asked cocking her head to the side looking at her friend desperately trying to refrain from giggling as she saw a huge grin on the youngest Weasley's face.

"I have something to tell you," Ginny replied quickly.

"I'm listening," Hermione insisted with a smile.

"Harry proposed!" Ginny exclaimed in a loud half whisper as she whipped her hand out from around her back to show Hermione the ring.

"Oh. My. God!" Hermione cheered as she wrapped her arms around her best friend and squeezed her tight, "Congratulations! I am so happy for you two!"

"Thank you!" Ginny said squeezing back and then as she leaned back she whispered one last thing, "You'll be my maid of honour right?"

Hermione smacked her playfully on the shoulder as she sat back up, "Of course I will!"

Both girls giggled and were hugging when Draco returned, drinks in hand. He cocked his head to the side as he tried to figure out why the girls were giggling when a sparkle of light struck his eyes. The understanding of the situation washed over his face. He set the drinks down on the table in front of Hermione and Ginny before tapping Harry on the shoulder, who happened to be standing behind him.

When Harry turned around, Draco extended a hand to him, "Congratulations, Potter." A smile beaming from his face at the confusion on Harry's face until he spotted Hermione and Ginny on the couch behind him.

"Thanks, Draco," he replied, "Ginny told Hermione and Hermione told you?"

Draco shook his head, "No, her finger told me."

Draco and Harry laughed and shook hands once again before Draco walked to the other end of the couch and sat down beside Hermione. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and squeezed tight before placing a soft kiss on her cheek.

"Congratulations Ginny," he said and was answered with a squeal as Ginny bounced off the couch and ran over to wrap her arms around Harry as she watched him talk to the other aurors nearby.

Draco and Hermione shared a small smile between them as they leaned back on the couch.

"Do you remember when I was that excited about our engagement?" she asked quietly. Draco laughed and nodded.

"Yeah I do," he said placing another gentle kiss on her cheek, "So how difficult was it for you to not tell me about the promotion?"

Hermione laughed aloud as she turned to face Draco and placed a chaste kiss on his lips. She whispered, "You have no idea."


	4. Say You'll Remember Me

**A/N:** Okay so I lied, we aren't to the letters yet. As I was reading back over them I realized that there was a big part that I was missing for the way that the letters are written, so that's where this chapter came from. However I did make it so that we are getting to them very very soon.

Thank you to everyone who has been reviewing/favoriting/following. It means a lot!

A song recommendation I have for you today that kind of ties into this chapter is _I Don't Wanna See You With Her by Maria Mena_. It is a very powerful song that has been really resonating with me lately.

As always, if you enjoyed the chapter please drop a review!

Love always,  
~starr

* * *

 _~January 2018~_

Hermione watched as the third howler flew past her office door in the last hour. Even though the Ministry had a working computer system, the minister still preferred sending memos the wizarding way. Especially when he was irritated with someone.

Sighing she pushed her chair away from her desk and walked over to the door. She peered down the hallway and watched the howler quickly turn the corner towards the Aurors' offices. She shook her head as she pulled her office door shut and walked quickly down the hallway to see what was going on. Even though she wasn't working directly with the Aurors and Magical Law Enforcement, she still kept tabs on everyone and everything that happened involving them.

"Damn it," Hermione mumbled under her breath when she saw the howler fly into Draco's office. Quickening her pace, she was able to slip inside his office and shut the door before he even noticed it was there.

Draco was unaware that anyone or anything had come into his office until he heard the door click shut. His head popped up at the sound and a smile grew on his face when he saw Hermione standing in front of the door, still completely unaware of the howler in the room until he saw Hermione snatch something out of the air and turn to face the door.

" _Muffilato_ ," she said calmly before turning back to Draco with a half-hearted smile on her face. He laughed and shook his head returning the smile.

"Damn, I thought this was a surprise fun visit," he huffed as he pushed the file aside and extended a hand towards Hermione, "Let me see it."

Hermione reluctantly handed him the howler with a frown on her face and took a seat in one of the empty chairs by his desk. The two shared a concerned glance as Draco lifted the seal on the back of the envelope. The thing practically jumped out of his hands as it began to relay its message.

" _Mr. Malfoy, this is the third Howler I have sent to your department in the last hour alone. Not counting the numerous ones that have been sent since you became Head Auror._

 _I'm not entirely sure how you and Mr. Yaxley handle things down there, but I am fairly certain that I hired you two because you are more than capable of taking care of issues internally._

 _I do hope that you are already in the works to deal with Mr. Weasley or else you and I will be having a not so friendly chat face to face."_

The howler dropped onto Draco's desk without another word. Hermione ran a hand through her curls and sighed before meeting his eyes as they both looked up from the howler.

"What'd he do now?" she asked calmly. Her ex-boyfriend was a very touchy subject when it came to her and Draco's relationship, but it was never something they fought about. It was just something that usually got one or both of them riled up.

Draco laughed, "The better question would be what hasn't he done lately."

Hermione quirked her eyebrow at him. She recalled him telling her bits and pieces over dinner conversations, but nothing overly substantial that she thought to be concerned about.

"He hasn't been showing up to the office for the last few weeks. However he's had time to show up at the houses that we were monitoring for any activity that may have been going on underground. I've gotten a few reports from the people he has talked. They all have said that something seemed wrong with him. Like he was on the verge of a mental breakdown or he was drunk, nothing like they remembered him being when they first met him," Draco continued.

Hermione shook her head. She had a suspicion that she was sitting in front of the reason that Ron was acting like an Auror gone rogue and having reports filed against him rather than the capable Auror he had proven to be during his training. She was kicking herself for not preparing the Aurors for the regime change better before she had accepted the job in research for the Minister. She had had a bad feeling that something like this was going to happen.

"I have to fix this," she said abruptly as she picked up the Howler from Draco's desk and began to rise from the chair. He reached his hand out to stop her, gently squeezing her wrist. She huffed as she sat back down and smiled graciously at him placing her other hand on top of his.

"This isn't your mess to fix, love," he said with a smile on his face, "Besides he'll never respect my authority if I don't fix this myself."

"At least let me talk to him first," she pleaded squeezing Draco's hand. She wasn't sure what she was going to say, but she needed to help ease this situation somehow. After all, she was certain that this all tied back to her.

"Hermione," Draco started, but stopped himself and looked down at their hands. He knew why she wanted to talk to him, so that she was the one taking the brunt of his temper. From what he could remember about the Weasel, his temper was one of his worser qualities.

Slowly he nodded his head as he lifted his gaze to her face and said in a low voice, "Okay."

Hermione smiled and squeezed his hand, "Thank you."

Draco smiled back at her, "Of course. You know I love you, right?"

The smile on Hermione's face grew bigger as she nodded her head quickly. Slowly standing up from her chair, she leaned over his desk placing a chaste kiss on his lips.

"I'll see you later," she whispered as she pulled away. As she opened his office door she looked over her shoulder and blew him a kiss before leaving.

Draco laughed and smiled as he watched her walk away. Sighing he reopened the file he had been reading before Hermione's visit. He shook his head as he read over the name once again, _Zacharias Smith_. One of the Death Eaters who had managed to slip out of the Ministry's sight after the war.

. . . . . . . .

Shortly after leaving Draco's office, Hermione was walking into Harry's office and pulled the door shut behind her with a smile on her face when Harry looked up from his desk.

"Hey, Hermione," he said returning her smile, "How are you?"

Hermione took a seat in one of the chairs in front of Harry's desk and sighed, "I'm alright and you?"

"I'm doing well," Harry replied, "So to what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Where's Ron?" she asked quickly. There was no point in wasting anymore time with pleasantries because she needed to get this settled quickly.

Harry carded his hand through his hair and sighed, "I wondered how long it would take you to ask about him. What'd he do this time?"

Hermione's eyes widen. She couldn't believe that this issues had been going on since Draco got promoted and no one bothered to tell her about it. For the most part she could understand why they didn't want to worry her, but they all should have known that they could ask her for help in dealing with this situation. They knew they could ask her for help with anything.

"What do you mean how long?" Hermione replied narrowing her gaze at her childhood best friend, "I was just made aware of the big issues with him this morning when I watched the third howler in an hour fly past my door. So I will ask you again, where is he?"

"I didn't know about the third howler. Just the one that came here," Harry shrugged. He was quite certain whose office it had landed in based on Hermione's visit. He looked at her apologetically as he spoke, "I'm not entirely sure where he is today. In fact I haven't been able to locate himself for a few days."

Hermione rolled her eyes at him, "You know I can tell when you lie to me, right?"

"I'm not lying to you, Hermione," Harry pleaded with her as Hermione's glare narrowed in on him before she stood up from the chair.

"Fine," she hissed, "I'll go find him myself then."

She turned on her heels and began walking to the door when she heard a sigh of frustration coming from behind her causing a wicked grin to form on her face. She slowed her pace and waited for the magic words.

"Hermione, wait," Harry called defeatedly hanging his head as he grabbed a piece of parchment.

Hermione stopped in her tracks and took a deep breath to rid the grin off her face as she turned around to look at Harry.

"Yes?" she hummed crossing her arms over her chest as she watched him scribble something down on a piece of parchment. He folded it in half before handing it to her without looking up at her.

"I didn't give this to you," he told her as he opened the folder back up that he had been looking over before she had come in.

"Thank you," she replied happily as she turned back around and walked out of his office. Once she was in the hallway, she opened the piece of parchment and sighed when she realized where she was headed.

. . . . . . . .

Broken down and dilapidated were the first two words that came to Hermione's mind when she saw the building barely standing in front of her. The windows were shattered and some of the shards of glass were scattered on the ground. She could only imagine how much glass and debris was lying on the floor inside.

"What is he doing here?" Hermione mumbled to herself as she cautiously opened the door and walked inside. It was pitch black, so she pulled her wand out of her pocket and whispered, " _Lumos_."

Once the room was lit up a bit, she proceeded inside. There was a fine layer of dust lying on the ground and the broken beams that had fallen. She shook her head in disgust. There was nothing here that could make this building feel like home, so she could not see why Ron was living here. Unless he had no other options.

As she got closer to the doorway at the other end of the room, she noticed the glow of a faint light. Quirking her eyebrow at the oddity, she carefully entered the room before calling out to the light.

"Ron? Is that you?" she questioned. The only response she was granted was the flickering of a light in front of her. A shiver ran down her spine as a gust of wind came through the window. She quickened her pace to reach the light when she realized that the light was shining through a small window on a door.

Slipping inside, she closed the door quickly behind her and took a deep breath. As she exhaled, she took a moment to look around the room. It looked nothing like the rest of the building that it was housed in. No dust. No broken down beams. It seemed as though someone was living here. Her only question know was why.

"Ron," she called again, "I know you're here. We need to talk."

She heard a grunt across the room from where she was standing and was greeted by the sight of her copper-haired ex coming slowly out of the shadows. She sighed when she noticed the bags under his eyes and the stench of his booze coated breath reached her nose.

"Was wonderin' 'ow long till you'd come for me," he slurred as he looked at her.

She shook her head in disgust, "Really, Ron? It's not even ten am and you are supposed to be at work."

"Why?" he hiccupped, "No one cares if I'm there or not."

"Then why has the Minister been sending howlers to everyone in your department? There have been a mass amounts of complaints coming to his desk," she replied.

"Dunno. Don't care," he shrugged.

Hermione rolled her eyes. She couldn't deal with him like this, so she pulled a potion out of her pocket. When she brought it with her, she had been hoping that she wouldn't need it at all. Extending the bottle to him she said, "Drink this."

Ron took it from her and looked at the bottle. It was unlabelled, but he had an idea of what it contained. He shrugged and popped the lid off of it downing its contents. The potion set to work quickly and soon the bags under his eyes disappeared along with the stench of booze from his breath.

"Why are you here?" he asked carding his hand through his hair as he walked over to the sofa in the middle of the room plopping himself down.

"To sort out this situation so that you don't lose your job," she replied as she walked over to the chair adjacent to his sofa and took a seat.

"Don't you mean so Ferret-face doesn't lose his job?" he huffed.

Hermione bit her tongue. Yelling at him now would not fix anything. It would only make the situation worse. Slowly she decided upon her answer and chose her words very carefully, "Yes, Draco's job is on the line too. However I am here to save your sorry arse. Draco's not the one in immediate danger of losing his job."

Ron rolled his eyes at her and crossed his arms over his chest, "Why do you care what happens to me? You're with _him_ now."

"Because we're friends and I'd rather not see you lose your job over the fact that you are jealous Draco's promotion," she snapped at him quickly. She had balled her hands into fists in an attempt to control her irritation with him.

"Jealous of Draco?" Ron laughed, "Why would I be jealous of that wannabe Auror?"

"Stop it, Ronald," she hissed, "I know you are just trying to irritate me and you know it's working, but don't insult him. I wasn't the one that nominated him to the job. It was the Minister's idea."

The shock on Ron's face made Hermione smile, but she had to hold back her laughter as best she could. Telling him that it wasn't her recommendation that landed Draco the job was the only thing she thought would get through to him. A little white lie wouldn't hurt the situation, would it?

"And if the promotion is what has put you in this shitty mood, then me telling you that should fix the problem. Or is something else bothering you about this whole situation?" she continued.

Ron stared at her for a moment before speaking, "You know what's bothering me."

"We broke up a long time ago, Ron. Try again," she grumbled.

"Seeing him and knowing that he's the reason why we broke up kills me, 'Mione," Ron admitted as he lowered his gaze to his hands. That was the first time he had been able to say it aloud. He wished that it hadn't been said for the first time to her.

"Oh," was all Hermione could say. That had never crossed her mind as a possibility as to what Ron's issue with the promotion was. He had been bitter towards her when she was his boss, so why would he have been acting any different when Draco was his boss?

"Yeah, so unless you have a way to make me forget that he's the reason we aren't together, I don't know what you expect me to do," he replied, still looking at his hands. He didn't have the courage to look at her. When it came to her, he had none of the Gryffindor bravery they were so well known for.

Hermione just stared at him. There was only one way to erase memories that she was sure of, but there was no way to be certain that Ron would be up for it. Her biggest hesitation was the reminder of how she felt that her parents couldn't remember her because of the simple incantation she had placed on them before the war. She wasn't sure that erasing his memories would be for the best.

"There's one way…" she admitted quietly.

Ron finally looked at her with a confused look upon his face, "How?"

"I can erase the memories of us that you have," she continued, "By creating false memories in their place, that way there'd be no reason for you to hate me and no reason for you to hate Draco now. Like I did for my parents before we went hunting horcruxes

Ron looked at her for a moment. He could hear the pain in her voice as she spoke. Slowly he nodded his head, "Do it."

Hermione looked at him puzzled, "Are you serious?"

"It's the only way that I will be able to keep my job and not lose my temper every time I have to go into his office," he replied defeatedly.

Hermione could feel the tears forming in the corner of her eyes as she looked at him. He was so sure that this would be the perfect resolution to the problem. Of course it wasn't ideal, but it would simplify things.

"I'm going to have to take the memory of this conversation away too," she said slowly. Ron nodded in agreement. There was no stopping it now.

Hermione rose from the chair and walked over to where he was seated. She placed her wand to his temple and whispered, " _Obliviate._ "

It took all of her willpower not to let the flood of emotions to flow freely, it was not her time to mourn. She could do that later in the comfort of her own home. As she cast the incantation, she thought of all the people who had memories of her and Ron as a couple. Their memories would be replaced as well. She couldn't risk anyone reminding her of a nonexistent past anymore.

"Ron?" she asked softly.

"So what were you saying about a new case?" he asked.

Hermione laughed quietly to herself as she tried to mask the pain in her voice, "Draco said to stop by his office later and he'll bring you up to speed with what's going on."

"Alright, 'Mione. Thanks for checking in on me. I'll swing by the office later today. Just didn't feel like myself this morning," he replied.

"No problem, Ron. I'll talk to you later," she told him walking hurriedly towards the small door she had come through just moments ago. She couldn't cry now, not here.

"Thanks again, 'Mione," he called as he watched her leave.

She closed the door quickly behind her and apparated back to the flat that she shared with Draco. Quickly she wrote a note to the Minister and one for Draco saying that she wouldn't be back in the office for the rest of the day.

. . . . . . . .

 _~ February 2020 ~_

"Ms. Granger, can you come into my office for a moment?" Kingsley asked popping his head into her office door, pulling her attention up from the document she was reading.

"Absolutely, sir. I'll be right there," she replied cheerfully. Hermione slipped the document back inside the folder it had come from and set it on the top of the small stack at the right side of her desk.

She pushed her chair back and walked around her desk. As she exited her office, she closed her door behind her and headed down the hall towards the Minister's office.

Once inside, she noticed that no one else from the research team was there. That seemed odd to her, but she shrugged it off and took a seat in front of Kingsley's desk.

He smiled when he turned around from what he had been pulling from his shelf and sat down in his seat.

"Hermione, have you ever wanted to travel the world?" he asked.

Hermione laughed, "Actually, Minister, I think my passport may have more stamps on it than yours. Why do you ask?"

"It very well might. But I didn't call you here to discuss your wanderlust. I need someone to go visit the other Ministry offices around the world. Mostly it would be just to check in and see how things are going for them. Also I'd like some feedback on how they deal with certain issues as they arise. Each office will have it's own file with a series of things for them to look into once they got there," Kingsley said.

"So the main job would be collecting intel?" she asked. Overall she understood what he wanted her to do, although it didn't make sense as to why it had to be her over anyone else on her team. The most logical thing to her would have been to have one of the interns doing something like this.

"That would be the overall description. There is a lot of classified information that you will be responsible for gathering and you are the only person on the team with high enough security clearance across the board," Kingsley replied.

"If security clearance is involved, then it means I would not be able to tell someone exactly where I was going and what I was going to do," Hermione said inquisitively.

"Correct. Rest assured however we would never send you into a dangerous area," Kingsley told her.

"That is reassuring," Hermione laughed. She knew that Draco wouldn't like it, but it was something that could further her career and help her to make connections all around the world.

"Are you interested in the job, Ms. Granger?" Kingsley asked hopeful that she would say yes. If she didn't, then there would be no one else that was completely qualified for the job and it would mean he needed to start the process of getting someone else up to par with what they needed. Something he was not looking forward to doing.

"It might put a bit of a strain on my marriage. You know, with me being gone all the time," Hermione told him.

"There will be breaks in between the trips, Hermione. You would be able to see Draco and your friends in between," Kingsley reassured.

Thinking about for a few moments more, Hermione finally nodded her head as she spoke, "Of course, Kingsley. It would be and honor."


	5. Distractions

**A/N:** Hey all! Here's the next chapter to A Series of Moments for you. Hopefully this answers the question as to why Hermione said yes to Kingsley's travel opportunity.

Special thanks to xxDustNight88 for reading through this to make sure I'm not rambling on for a couple thousand words.

Also, in the previous chapter Hermione did not oblivate Ron to take away the memories as the spell usually does. She altered the memories like she did to her parents. I had this happen because of the way that I wrote the letters and there was a big plot hole that would have opened up had I not done something about it.

A side note: if you are interested in updates/teasers/prompts and the works, I started a facebook group from readers and friends to hang out in. It's called starrnobella Fanfiction Friends & Fans if you'd like to check it out!

Trigger Warning: From this point on in the story, there will be mentions of miscarriage and infertility issues. Please keep that in mind as you read on.

If you enjoy the chapter be sure to leave a review :)

Love always,  
~starr

* * *

 _~April 2020~_

Walking briskly along Avenue d'iéna, Hermione kept her head down as she headed from the warmth of her beautiful suite in the Shangri-La Hotel towards the Trodcadéro Gardens. It was her favorite place to hang out when she had a bit of downtime between meetings with the Ministry officials and her own site seeing. There was a tree with the perfect curve to support her back as she leaned against it, and gave her a beautiful view of the Eiffel Tower. She was eager to get to her tree and have an hour or so of peace until her next meeting.

Any given day, she walked past a variety of characters. Each of them reminding her of people she left back home. She missed them dearly. The small goodbye party they had was not nearly enough time for her to express all of her goodbyes. She smiled to herself as she touched the necklace that Draco had given her.

She was so lost in thought that she nearly walked into a young man. She caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of her eye. As she walked past him, Hermione's nose was filled with the decadent scent of spearmint. She stopped in her tracks.

"Draco?" she mouthed with a puzzled look on her face. "What the hell?"

She slowly turned to get a better look at the man who had just walked past and her heart sank when she saw a dark head of hair walking away from her. She sighed to herself and shook the disappointed thoughts aside. There was no use in getting her hopes up.

"He can't follow me here," she mumbled as she continued on her way. "The Minister would fire him on the spot."

As much as she wished that he could travel with her, she knew that Draco's job included traveling of its own and she wasn't allowed to travel with him either. She longed for the days when they were able to travel together. They had seen many wonderful places, some she hoped to be lucky enough to return to again. She was certain that he was getting ready to head out on his first travel assignment within the next few days. Not that she had been given much information about that either.

 _Damn the Ministry and its strict code for secrecy_ , she thought to herself as she arrived at her destination. Slowly she lowered herself down and leaned her head back against the tree, momentarily taking a deep breath before pulling the files out of her bag. She started reading over them for the umpteenth time since arriving in Paris just over a month ago.

While looking over the files, the laughter of a small child distracted her. Hermione set the files aside and watched the young children giggling and smiling as they played on the merry-go-round nearby. A smile graced her face as she watched them, but there was a small tug on her heartstrings with every giggle. Shrugging the painful memories aside, she turned her attention back to the files in front of her, not ready to be reminded of some of the discussion she and Draco had before her departure for Paris.

. . . . . . . .

 _~January 2020~_

"Draco, do you have a minute?" Yaxley said, knocking on the open office door pulling Draco's attention from the file that was open in front of him. He lifted his head and smiled at the man in his door way.

"Mr. Yaxley, please come in," Draco said, rising from his seat inviting his boss into the room. Yaxley smiled as he walked in and extended a hand to Draco over the desk, which Draco graciously took and offered his boss the seat opposite his desk.

"Thank you, Draco," Yaxley said as he took a seat and Draco returned to his. "So you are probably wondering why I'm here."

Draco nodded his head. "I was hoping we would get to that."

"Yes, well. You know about the cold case regarding Zacharias Smith, correct?" Yaxley asked quietly to avoid bringing unwanted attention to their conversation.

Draco nodded in agreement. "Yes. I'm quite familiar with it. In fact, I have been reading over the file for the last few months hoping to find something that the previous aurors on the case may have missed. Did something happen?"

"We've had some news," Yaxley stated. "We received word from a few of our undercovers in Muggle London that there have been sightings of a few of Smith's followers lurking about. Also, we've been hearing rumors that Smith is hiding out nearby as well."

Draco's jaw dropped as he listened to his boss inform him of the tips that the Ministry had received over the past few weeks. He was also trying to determine why he had not been informed about all of this sooner, especially since he was the Head Auror. He should have been one of the first people privy to the tips coming from the general public. An issue he planned to address at a later time.

However, there was the more pressing issue at hand. What exactly was Yaxley doing in his office? Why was he bringing this up now? Did he have some kind of plan in mind moving forward? Draco knew it was time to start asking questions.

"So what does that mean for us?" Draco asked quirking his brow. Mr. Yaxley hung his head slightly before answering the question.

"It means I need to send someone into Muggle London to meet with our undercovers to determine if any of these tips are worth following up with, and I was hoping that you would be willing to go."

"I see," Draco paused momentarily.

"Do you need an answer right away?" he asked leaning back in his chair as his mind started running through all of the possible outcomes that could come from this situation.

He could say yes right now and then have to tell Hermione that he made a huge decision about their life without even discussing it with her. He could say no and miss out on an amazing opportunity to grow in his career. _Or_ he could hope that Mr. Yaxley would tell him that he could give his answer later and then he'd have time to talk the whole thing over with Hermione first. That way, the decision would be best for all involved.

"I just need an answer by the end of the week," Yaxley said as he rose from the chair. Draco followed suit and extended his hand to his boss who took it happily. "I do hope that you accept the job, Draco."

Without saying another word, Yaxley left Draco's office. Draco sat back down carding his hands through his hair. The gears in his mind were working in overdrive trying to come up with a plan that would be acceptable to everyone.

. . . . . . . .

"Hermione?" Draco called as he entered their small flat later that evening. After hanging up his coat, he walked from the entryway towards the kitchen where the delicious aroma of dinner was wafting from. He had a nervous smile on his face.

Upon entering the kitchen, he saw Hermione dancing around the kitchen to a song that was playing with a big smile on her face. He laughed to himself as he watched her from the doorway a few minutes longer.

As he watched her, he began thinking about all the things he would be missing if he took the assignment. However, even knowing what he would be giving up, he couldn't help thinking about how amazing of an opportunity he was being handed on a silver platter.

Draco carded his hand through his hair before walking over to where Hermione was currently standing and wrapped an arm around her waist, placing a soft kiss on the back of her head. He smiled when she spun around and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Hey you," she said placing a kiss on his lips and squeezed him tight. Draco smiled as he kissed her back and then placed a few kisses on her forehead before letting her go.

"Hey," he replied. "What smells so good?"

"Shepard's pie," she said cheerfully before spinning back around and opened the door to the oven to check on the progress of dinner. Draco just laughed as he watched her.

"What are you laughing at?" she asked looking back at him over her shoulder, one eyebrow raised slightly.

"You," he replied simply with a smirk as he walked over the refrigerator to grab something to drink. "Would you like a drink?"

"Water please," she said as she closed the door to the oven and sat down at the table. She smiled at him as he placed a bottle in front of her and reached out to grab it. "Thank you. How was your day today?"

"Would you believe me if I told you that was a loaded question?" Draco remarked with a small laugh to keep the mood light, even though he knew it was a wasted effort.

Hermione furrowed her brow as she took a sip of her water. Replacing the cap on the bottle, she asked, "What's wrong?"

The concern for him evident in her voice leading his expression to soften. Draco reached his hand out to take Hermione's and squeezed lightly as he sighed.

"Don't think that today was a bad day, it was just full of a lot of information to take in," Draco assured as he brushed his thumb over the back of Hermione's hand. "Mr. Yaxley came to speak to me this afternoon."

"And?" Hermione asked nervously as she searched Draco's eyes for any indication of an answer. Disheartened when she found none, she closed her eyes momentarily and hung her head as she waited for him to respond.

Draco squeezed her hand tightly and reached up to cup her cheek. When he touched her, Hermione's eyes fluttered open as she looked at him as he spoke. "Hey, don't bury yourself inside your head. I haven't even told you what was going on, and you're already going into hiding mode."

A small smile appeared on her face as she noticed the smile on his face. She knew that he was just trying to make her feel better and attempting to push away the anxiety that was looming in the back of her mind.

"So what did Corban want to speak to you about?" she asked quietly.

"Corban?" Draco said confused quirking his brow at the the informality that Hermione had addressed his boss with.

Hermione laughed at his confusion. "Yes, Corban. That's his first name."

Draco shook his head, "Okay, _Corban_ came to talk to me today about one of our colder cases, Zacharias Smith."

Hermione nodded her head slowly. "I vaguely remember the case. Has something come up? Did he actually show his face somewhere?"

"There have been rumors of him lurking around in the shadows of Muggle London, or at least some of his cohorts have been spotted roaming around. Corban wants me to go into Muggle London and investigate some of the tips that have been coming in to see if any of them hold any weight."

"How long would you be gone?" she asked.

"I'm not sure, I don't actually have any details yet. I haven't given him an answer. I have until the end of the week to give him an answer, but I wanted to talk to you about it first," he responded.

"Do you want to take the assignment?"

"I think it would be a great opportunity, but I'm not keen on the idea of being away from you for an unspecified stint of time. I also happen to really enjoy travelling with you and I'm sure there's a variety of places that I'd be sent that you'd want to see."

"Well, we knew when you became the Head Auror that you'd have the chance to travel alone. Plus, we still aren't sure what all my new job title entails. I may have to travel too," Hermione said calmly as she interlaced her fingers in Draco's. "If it's something that you want to do, then I think you should do it."

"Are you sure?" Draco asked concerned, "This would mean postponing our plans to start a family..."

Hermione shook her head to stop Draco from continuing with that sentence."It's not like we haven't had to postpone them long enough. What's another few months going to hurt?"

She bit her lip to keep the tears at bay that were forming in the corners of her eyes. Tipping her head back slightly, she blinked her eyes furiously to fight the tears away. Unfortunately, that did not stop a stray tear from making it's way down her cheek.

Draco quickly got out of his chair and knelt down in front of her taking both of her hands in his, squeezing softly. "Hey, hey. It will happen for us when we are ready."

"So we haven't been ready for the last ten years?" Hermione asked as a sob wracked through her body, causing her to lower her chest to her knees as she cupped her face with her hands.

Draco immediately wrapped his arms around her body, rubbing his hand up and down her back to comfort her. He knew better than anyone how badly she was hurting. They had been given no definite reason as to why they were still childless. It wasn't that they weren't trying, but apparently their bodies were not working together the way they should. Sadly, there was nothing he could do to change that fact.

"Take the assignment," she whispered after a few moments when the tears had finally stopped falling and she was able to regain control over her breathing. Draco leaned his head back to look at her face, searching her eyes for any sign of uncertainty.

"Are you sure?" he asked. Concern radiated through his words. Slowly, she nodded her head taking a deep breath leaned back in her seat.

"Yes, I'm sure. We both need a distraction from our child situation. We've been trying for so long that maybe we aren't meant to have children, or this isn't the right time for us to try bringing children into this world," she told him quietly.

Draco reached up to cup her face. "I'll tell Corban I'll take the assignment on one condition."

Hermione quirked her brow at him. "What's that?"

"If Kingsley offers you the opportunity to travel, you take it too," he told her before kissing her softly on the lips.

. . . . . . . .

 _~ April 2020 ~_

The giggle of a small child drew Hermione back out of her thoughts and connected her back to the reality that was before her. There was a lot that she wished to accomplish with her life, and moving forward in her career was one of those things; so she knew that she needed to focus on the file folder in her hands. She needed to stop dreaming about the things she just couldn't have right now.

"Get yourself together, Hermione," she mumbled as she flipped open the folder again only to be yet again distracted by the laughter of small children riding on the carousel nearby. A small smile grew on her face when she saw a parent taking a picture of the child with a smile on their own face.

That was something that she would have someday. _The joy of being a parent._ Once their busy lives calmed down she and Draco could start trying again. Hopefully, this time they would be successful. Their small family would grow and their home would be filled with the laughter of children.

However for now, she would bask in the memories they had accomplished together. Her memories kept them close while they were so far apart. Living in memories were not ideal, but it would help her sleep on the nights that sleep seemed to escape her.

Looking back down at the file once more, a brilliant idea struck her. A way that her memories and thoughts could be shared with Draco. All without breaking protocol. She quickly pulled a piece of parchment out of her bag and began writing.


	6. Frustrations

**A/N:** I'm sorry it took me two months to get an update out for this story. I have been having some issues with writing Dramione lately and I refused to see this story come across as forced. I would rather see these chapters come out the way that I want them to, so it may take longer than expected to get an update out to you. That being said, here is a lovely chapter for you all.

I've said it before but I'll say it again: I am on Facebook and Tumblr. All of the links/usernames can be found on my profile. Consider checking me out on there :)

If you enjoy the chapter, please drop a review :)

Love always,  
~starr

* * *

 _~ April 2020~_

Knocking on a closed door, Draco sighed his head as he waited for the person on the other side to answer. This was the fifth door today that he had knocked on. The day before he had knocked on ten or more doors. All of them resulted in the same response. It was only a matter of time until this door resulted in the same exact thing.

The door creaked open a small amount and a pair of blue eyes peaked out around it. Draco put on his best smile and extended his hand close to the door, but not close enough that it would get caught when it came slamming shut.

"Hello, my name is Draco Malfoy and I'm with the Ministry of Magic's Department of Magical Law Enforcement: Auror Division. Do you have a few moments to talk about-?"

He was cut off by the slamming of yet another door in his face. Cursing under his breath, he turned on his heels and walked away. He looked at his watch and decided to head back to his hotel room for the day. He knew that nothing better was going to come out of visiting the rest of the houses on his list.

Once he got back to his hotel room, he was going to have to floo into Wizarding London to go see the Minister. The Minister wasn't going to be happy when he found out that Draco hadn't been able to get any kind of response from the people.

He wasn't sure what the Minister had been expecting though sending Draco after information in Muggle London of all places. He was still feared in London. It didn't matter how many times he got recognized in the Wizarding world, the wizards and witches that lived in Muggle London wanted nothing to do with him because of the association his family name had with the Dark Lord.

So now, Draco was attempting to rebuild a reputation based solely on his work in the community, and so far, he had been completely unsuccessful. Even the big accomplishments he had made in his time since graduating from Hogwarts seemed insufficient to the Wizarding world. The only thing helping him keep going was the thought that maybe if he was able to bring Smith to justice that it would help to regain people's faith in the Malfoy name.

All of these thoughts were running through his head as walked briskly back to the hotel. The journey from the houses he was visiting back to the hotel was one that he was slowly becoming far too accustomed to and it was becoming very disheartening. All he really wanted to do was be wrapped up with Hermione sitting at their flat watching the telly like the good old days before travel became an integral part of their careers.

He quickly bounded up the stairs and entered the front lobby of the hotel. Approaching the front desk, he donned a fake smile and leaned up against the counter.

"Good afternoon, Simon," Draco said as cheerfully as possible. It was nice being greeted by a friendly face for the first time all day. He sighed in relief as Simon came over to talk to him.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Malfoy. How are you today?" Simon asked picking up the pile of papers on the desk and bounced them against the desk to line them up with one another.

"I've had better days, Simon. How are you doing?" Draco replied crossing his arms over one another.

"I'm doing well, Mr. Malfoy. Can I help you with something?" Simon said with a smile.

Draco chuckled to himself quietly. That certainly was a loaded question. There was a lot that would help him. One of those things would be getting to spend some time with Hermione. This was week three since she had left for her assignment and he for his. His eyes met Simon's and he plastered a fake smile on his face. "I was just stopping by to see if anything had arrived for me while I was out," he replied sweetly.

Simon quickly turned around to check the mailbox for Draco's room and found it empty. He turned on his heels back to face him. "Nothing today, Mr. Malfoy. Anything else I can help you with?" he asked.

Draco shook his head. "Thank you, Simon, but I don't think I need anything else tonight. I will see you tomorrow."

"Have a good evening, Mr. Malfoy," Simon answered with a smile on his face. Draco returned the smile and made his way towards the elevator. Once he was able to hide himself away in his room, things would be better. He'd finally be able to relax.

. . . . . . . .

Draco was awoken from his nap by the roar of the the fireplace in his hotel room signalling him that someone from the Ministry was calling to talk to him. He sighed throwing his head back against the pillow as he pushed himself up off the bed. Once he was on his feet he padded over to the mirror to check his appearance to make sure he didn't look as though he had been asleep for the last hour.

Brushing his hand down the length of his shirt one last time, Draco approached the roaring fireplace. He took a deep breath as he watched a familiar face appear.

"Potter," Draco said coldly. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Hello, Malfoy," Harry replied cooly. "How are you today?"

Draco sighed. There was a large part of him that wished the Boy Who Lived didn't look at everything with a positive attitude or try to spin things in such a way that no matter what happened, everything worked out for the best. The cheery disposition was rather off putting when he knew full and well that the Minister wanted an explanation as to why they hadn't been updated on the status of the case.

"Are the pleasantries really necessary?" he said with a huff as he carded his hand through his hair. He laughed to himself as Harry took a deep breath and held it a few seconds before exhaling.

"The Minister wants a meeting," Harry replied, hanging his head slightly.

"How soon?" Draco responded. It would take him at least five minutes to gather his files, so that he could give the Minister some kind of information. The papers and files were currently scattered all over the table near the window of his room. A few of them must of have floated to the floor at some point because as he glanced over that way he saw a picture of the man he was in search of staring back at him.

"The sooner, the better," Harry said quickly as his eyes flitted back and forth from Draco to something in front of him. Draco assumed it to be someone standing in Harry's office making sure that he was able to reach him before too much more time had passed.

Draco nodded, "I will be there in an hour."

"See you then," Harry said. The green flame dissipated quickly and Draco was left alone yet again. He could feel his anger bubbling up just below the surface. However, now was not the time for anger. He had a limited amount of time to gather his things and be on his way. It was not a wise thing to keep the Minister of Magic waiting.

. . . . . . . .

Harry was waiting for him as he appeared in the floo at the Ministry with a nervous look on his face. Draco sighed as he stepped out of the fireplace and into the main hall of the building. The busy hum going on around him relaxed him slightly. It was nice to be back in the middle of all the hubbub rather than secluded in a hotel room in Muggle London.

"Do you want to stop by your office before we go see -," Harry began, but was quickly cut off when Draco shook his head.

"No, I'll swing by before I head back. I'd rather get thrown into the fire now," Draco said quickly turning on his heel towards the direction of the Minister's office. Harry was keeping in step with him as the pair travelled down the hallway.

Harry had been mumbling about something under his breath, but Draco had no idea what he was saying. He wasn't exactly trying to pay attention. His mind was more focused on other things. There was a small piece of him that hoped that Hermione had been called in and they would at least get to exchange hellos. He hadn't spoken to her since the morning that she left.

It wasn't that she wasn't answering him when he reached out to her. It was that the Minister had given them both strict orders not to be in traceable communication with one another. It was a stupid rule, in his opinion.

. . . . . . . .

 _~ February 2020 ~_

"What do you mean we can't communicate with each other while we are away?" Hermione demanded as she stormed into Kingsley's office with Draco in tow after receiving a memo with the regulations that have been put into place for their assignments.

"Hello to you too, Ms. Granger. Mr. Malfoy," Kingsley replied pausing his pacing at the interruption. "I see you've received the information about your assignments and the regulations that go along with it."

"Yes we received it and we aren't exactly happy about it either. We knew that our jobs would involve travelling, but we thought we'd be able to communicate daily," Hermione said crossing her arms over her chest as she waited for a response from the Minister.

Kingsley sighed. The regulations had been put into place to ensure the safety of everyone at the Ministry. The Death Eaters that Draco would be tracking were dangerous people and none of the Ministries of Magic around the world wanted to take every precaution possible to ensure the safety of the Wizarding World. Hermione's assignments involved her being at the different Ministries. Communication by floo and cell phones were too easy to trace.

"I know this is not ideal," Kingsley began only to be quickly cut off by a frustrated growl from Hermione as she uncrossed her arms.

"Not ideal? Talk about understatement of the year," Hermione huffed as her arms flew into the air very animatedly. Draco placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her, but when her head snapped back to look at him, he quickly removed it. If looks could kill, Draco would be dead where he stood.

"Ms. Granger, I do apologize for the inconvenience," Kingsley began again only to be met with the same look that Draco had received only moments before. He sighed and paused for a moment before speaking again. "Due to the nature of Mr. Malfoy's current assignment and future endeavors, myself and the other Ministers of Magic world wide thought it best that contact with him be limited for the time of his assignments. We understand that it is an unfortunate circumstances for those closely related to him, but it is best alternative for all involved. These men are dangerous people."

"I'm well aware of that. I did the office part of his job for over ten years until I got moved to _your_ team," she replied rolling her eyes. "Why wasn't this restriction put into place then? We were looking for the same type of people then, what's the difference now?"

"Ms. Granger if it were something that I could discuss with you, then I would. However, my hands are tied in the matter," Kingsley said defeatedly, "I'm sorry."

Hermione sighed, "I know. It's just very frustrating." She rose from her seat and walked over towards the door where she paused momentarily and turned back to face Kingsley. "I'm sorry I yelled at you. I know this can't be easy for anyone here."

"I know, Ms. Granger. I wish there was more that I could do," Kingsley told her with a smile.

Hermione returned the smile and left Kingsley's office headed towards her own. Draco and Kingsley assumed that she was going in search of some kind of a loop hole. That was one of the things that Hermione Granger was very good at. That and making grown men fear for their lives with a single glance.

. . . . . . . .

An origami swan floated into Draco's study later that evening from down the hall. He laughed when it landed perfectly on top of the stack of papers he had been reading through. Hermione's handiwork was unmistakable. This swan was similar to one he remembered making during his time at Hogwarts.

Carefully he pulled the the paper open to reveal his wife's beautiful handwriting. A large smile grew on his face as he read the words she had sprawled across the page.

 _I found a loophole, my love. It just may take a little while longer to get back and forth than we had originally planned._

 _Love,_

 _Hermione_

"I'm not even surprised she found one," Draco muttered under his breath. He pushed away from his desk and went in search of Hermione. She was probably beaming with a joy that would make Kingsley wish she wasn't so smart all the time.

. . . . . . . .

 _~ April 2020 ~_

Kingsley paced back and forth behind his desk yet again. Draco watched him nervously twiddling his thumbs as he waited for his boss to say something. Draco had been met with complete silence when he entered the office, which was odd, but he could understand Kingsley being frustrated with the lack of information that Draco had been able to report back. However the silent treatment was still very confusing.

Suddenly, Kingsley stopped pacing and scrubbed his hands over his face before turning to Draco. He attempted to smile, but it fell short as he pulled his chair away from the desk and sat down. He sighed before finally addressing Draco after what felt like a lifetime.

"Hello, Draco," Kingsley said calmly. It was becoming increasingly obvious to Draco that this conversation was not going to go in a way that would work out well for the Head Auror.

"Hello, Minister," Draco replied in turn. He lowered his eyes to the files lying on Kingsley's desk in front of him. "Here is everything that I have collected on Smith so far."

Draco pushed the files across Kingsley's desk towards him. He wasn't proud of the work that he had accomplished, but it was at least something that proved he had actually been doing work while he was in Muggle London. Kingsley picked up the file on the top of the pile and flipped through it briefly, but said nothing as he set it back down and repeated the process with the rest of the pile.

Draco just watched him. Until Kingsley said something to him, there was no point in trying to plead his case. Ideally, what would happen would be that Kingsley would yell at him for not getting anything useful, and Draco would be then sent back to his hotel room and told to work harder.

"I don't see any new leads here," Kingsley finally said after flipping through the last folder Draco had provided him with. He folded his arms over his chest as he leaned back in the chair and waited for Draco's response.

"That is because no one has been very cooperative in talking to me," he replied slowly. "My guess is that it has something to do with my past and the fact that the Malfoy name was very closely tied to the Dark Lord for some time."

"I guess we will have to come up with a way to get people to trust you. I'll be in touch," Kingsley said coldly, dismissing Draco from the room without even another glance in the young man's direction.

. . . . . . . .

Back at his hotel room in Muggle London, Draco was staring intently into his tumbler of firewhiskey as he waited for a response of some kind from the Minister. He was distracted by the simplicity of how Kingsley had just sent him away without even a second look.

It felt as though Kingsley thought Draco wasn't even trying. He almost wanted to tell the Minister to use _legilimency_ on him just to see what he had been subject to when he went from door to door. All of the homes he had visited were supposed to be allies to the Ministry, so they should have been willing to talk to him. However, they still slammed the door in his face. He really couldn't blame them.

A quiet rapping at the window pulled Draco out of his thoughts. He turned his head to look outside and saw a small grey owl sitting on the window sill. It looked to have a small note tied to its leg. Draco slowly raised from his chair and walked over to let the creature inside.

He untied the note from his leg and conjured up some food for him. As he handed him the food, the owl nuzzled it's beak up against Draco's hand. He smiled as he watched the owl eat before walking back over to his chair to open the note.

A large smile appeared on his face when he recognized the penmanship of the writer. "Hermione," he whispered happily as he finished unrolling the parchment. However, just as he got it where he could read it, a red envelope came flying in his window and landed on his lap.

"Damn it," he mumbled as he set the note from his wife aside and picked up the howler from the Ministry.

" _Mr. Malfoy this howler is to inform you that you have been assigned a partner for the remainder of your assignment. Mr. Weasley will be arriving at your hotel tomorrow morning."_


	7. A Past Revisited

**A/N:** Hello my loves! I don't even know where to begin with this note because I am a horrible person for taking so long with an update for this fic. My heart has just not been into Dramione lately, but then inspiration struck and I wrote 2k last weekend and the chapter just flowed from there. So that's where this came from.

I have also updated Lost Letters of Love around the same time that this update is going up. I hope you'll go check out that story as well.

All the love to my wonderful beta, xxdustnight88 for everything that she has done for me to help make this story the best that it can be!

If you are interested in checking out my other works or keeping up with me in general, I have an author's page on Facebook that you can check out (starrnobella Fanfiction) as well as a group (starrnobella Fanfiction Friends & Fans) that I am very active in on a daily basis. I'm also on tumblr (starrnobella) that you can follow along with me as well.

I've got a lot of great stories coming up down the road and I hope that you all stick around to read them.

If you enjoy the chapter, please consider leaving a review! :)

Love always,  
~starr

* * *

 _~ December 1998 ~_

It was only two days before one of the most important days of the school year. The Yule Ball was something she had been looking forward to since the start of the year. Everyone was excited, and the castle was buzzing with excitement was the ball drew near.

Hermione and Ginny had been planning for the Yule Ball since the previous school year ended. They'd taken multiple trips to Muggle London looking for the perfect dresses. It had taken them until almost the start of the year to find the perfect dress for Hermione.

She smiled looking over at the wardrobe in her dorm room. It housed her perfect dress that was just waiting to be worn. She couldn't wait to show Ron how it looked on her. She just knew he'd love the way it clung to her figure just so, accentuating every curve.

She was drawn out of her thoughts when she heard a faint knocking on the door to the common room that connected the Head Boy and Head Girl's dorms. Glancing up at the clock on her wall, she smiled to herself.

"Right on time," she hummed, rising from her desk and heading into the common room. As she opened the door she found her boyfriend eagerly waiting with a pile of books in hand.

He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek as he entered the common room and dropped his books onto the end table. "Hey, 'Mione. Is _he_ here?" His head nodded in the direction of the Head Boy's door.

"I haven't seen Draco today, so I have no idea if he is in there or not," Hermione replied as she closed the door. "What does it matter? All we are going to do is study for our Potions exam this afternoon."

After the war, she and Draco Malfoy were named Head Boy and Head Girl for Year Eight. McGonagall wanted to encourage inter-house unity, so she decided to try something new. When the Headmistress had called them both into her office at the end of Year Seven, Hermione and Draco decided it was time to put aside their differences and do what was best for the school.

Unfortunately, Ron was incapable of doing such things. For some reason unbeknownst to Hermione, he couldn't push past the negative feelings that he housed for the Malfoy heir. Apparently everything that Draco had done to help save them at the end of the war was not enough for Ron to be willing to befriend him.

"It doesn't," Ron grumbled as she sat down on the small couch. "Was just curious. Ready to study?"

She sighed before nodding her head. "Yeah, let me get my notes," she replied, walking towards her bedroom door.

"I have mine," he insisted, patting the empty seat beside him on the couch. "Come sit down."

Hermione stopped in her doorway and turned around, leaning against the frame, crossing her arms over her chest. She rested her head against the door frame, biting her lip softly to keep from laughing at the expression on his face. "Do you have _all_ of the notes?"

Ron shook his head and sighed as he leaned back into the couch. Hermione laughed before turning back around. "That's what I thought. I'll be right back."

As he waited for her to return, Ron rested his head against the pillow on the couch and closed his eyes for a few moments. After a few brief minutes, he heard a door open and close. "Took you long enough to find those notes, 'Mione. Where were they? The dungeons?" he said with a laugh, leaning forward slowly and opening his eyes. However, the first person he saw was not his bushy-haired girlfriend. "What the hell are _you_ doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question, Weasley," Draco replied, rolling his eyes. "I live right over there." He gestured towards his door before he slipped through it.

Hermione had just stepped back into the common room and was getting ready to sit down next to Ron when Draco had walked in. She sighed deeply as she dropped her notes on the table and stepped in between the two. Breaking up a fight was not something she really felt like doing, just hours before their Potions exam.

"Leave him alone, Ron," she said sternly, placing a forceful hand on his shoulder. If she could keep him on the couch and away from Draco, then things would go much smoother than if the two were any closer.

Ron huffed and slouched back down against the couch. His frustration with the situation bubbling just below the surface, but for Hermione's sake he seemed to bite his tongue, at least for the time being.

Draco watched the situation take hold. It seemed rather odd to him how easily Hermione was able to put the Weasel in his place and not garner any argument. Placing his bag down on his bed, a small idea popped into his head. Hopefully, instead of blowing up in his face, this idea would result in the course of action he had been hoping for.

"Granger," Draco called as he walked back towards the common room, stopping just inside the doorway and leaning up against the frame.

"Hmmm?" Hermione replied, spinning on her heels to face him.

"What color is your dress for the ball this weekend? Or is it a big secret?" he asked, laughing quietly as he watched Ron's brow furrow and his lower lip twitch.

Hermione bit her lip as she smiled. "Oh, it's not a secret," she laughed, running a nervous hand through her curls. "Took me forever to find the perfect one though. I think Ginny and I tried on at least fifty dresses each. Although, that's not what you asked."

Draco laughed, nodding his head as he waited for her answer. He had overheard Hermione talking to Ginny about their dresses earlier in the week, so he already knew. However, from the look on Ron's face, Ron had no idea that his girlfriend planned to be donning Slytherin colors for the Ball this year.

"The answer to your question is that my dress is emerald green," she said gleefully, a small giggle escaping her lips a smile beamed brightly from her face. That was until she heard an aggravated huff from behind her as Ron rose quickly from the couch and began pacing the small area between her bedroom door and the couch.

"Why the bloody hell did you buy an emerald green dress, 'Mione?" Ron yelled, storming into her bedroom. His hand tossed up above his head.

She sighed, turning away from Draco after a brief but silent apology and quickly dashed into her bedroom. She closed the door behind her. She knew that it was going to get rather loud quickly. "Silencio," she whispered, casting a spell over her door. The last thing she needed was Draco to overhear what was about to be said.

"What does it matter, Ronald?" Hermione asked, rolling her eyes as she walked past him to take a seat on her bed. "A dress is a dress. The color means nothing."

This was a usual Friday afternoon for her since she and Ron had began dating after the war, especially after McGonagall's announcement. There was nothing she could do to stop Draco from being a point of friction between them. She'd listen to him blow up over something so minor for an hour and watch him storm away from her. Then within an hour, he'd be knocking on her door quietly asking for permission to come in. They'd sit down and talk. He'd apologize. She'd forgive him. They would kiss and make-up. Just like nothing had happened at all.

Deep down, Hermione knew that today was not going to be like all the other Friday afternoon fights. She'd let him storm out, but this time he wasn't getting back in. If he left, they were done. She was tired of dealing with his temper, even if that meant attending the Yule Ball alone.

"You're a Gryffindor, Hermione! That's what matters!" Ron blurted, tossing his hands in the air. "You aren't some slimy Slytherin who wears green and all it's obnoxious shades."

"Obnoxious shades?" Hermione scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest as she shook her head. "That's the best you could come up with?"

Ron carded his hands through his hair. His frustration was starting to take over his thoughts and Hermione could see it slowly breaching the calm surface he was trying to portray. He was sick of fighting with her, but he couldn't figure out why she had begun befriending the slimiest of all Slytherins, Draco Malfoy.

"Why have you befriended Ferret-face?" Ron sighed, finally looking at Hermione, when he noticed the smug look on her face.

"You mean Draco?" she corrected quickly, raising her eyebrow in disgust.

"You aren't even calling him Malfoy. What the hell is wrong with you? He's not worth calling by the first name. Once a damn Death Eater, always a fucking Death Eater. What the bloody hell has gotten into you?" Ron grumbled, "It's like you're not even the same person I fell for after the war. It's like you're one of _them_." His head nodding towards the door he was certain Draco was waiting behind to celebrate in managing to piss him off.

"Get out!" Hermione hissed, rising quickly from her bed pointing towards the door.

"What?" Ron asked, confusion apparent in his voice. This was not part of their normal routine. He was expecting her to remain calm and allow him to leave to cool off before returning so that they could talk about the issues.

"You heard me!" she spat back, motioning towards the door. "Get the fuck out and don't come back!"

"Hermione," Ron pleaded, taking a step towards her hoping that she didn't mean what she was saying. However, she took a step away from him, shaking her head and putting her hand up in front of her stopping Ron in his tracks.

"We're done," she replied coldly, wrapping her arms around her stomach. "Now, leave."

He just stared at her for a few moments, unsure what to do. This was the first time she'd ever told him to leave. Normally, she just let him leave and then come back. He tried to take another step towards her, but she stepped away from him yet again. This time only pointing towards the door.

Sighing, he hung his head and walked towards the door to the common room. He glanced back at her over his shoulder, searching for a glimmer of hope that things were not as they seemed. However, he found none. He slammed the door behind him, refusing to give anyone else the time of day. He gathered his bag off the couch and left before Malfoy could say anything to him.

. . . . . . . .

 _~ April 2020 ~_

"Minister, are you sure this is a good idea?" Ron asked curiously as he leaned back in the chair opposite Kingsley's desk as he finished informing him of his newest assignment. "Surely Draco can handle the case on his own without my help. It's just a patch of rotten luck."

Kingsley shook his head, leaning forward on his desk as he interlaced his fingers together, resting them on top of the folders piled up on his desk. "Apparently not this case," Kingsley began. "I've allowed him to work on this case for the last four months, and updates have been beyond scarce. It appears as though the leads seem to be drying up as well."

"I'm sure it's not a lack of trying on his part, sir," Ron replied. "However, if you need me to join him in London, I'll be on the next train."

"Good to hear. You'll find his hotel and room number in this envelope," Kingsley said, sliding it across the table towards him. "It also contains Draco's notes on the case so far. Perhaps the two of you can find some new leads."

Ron took the envelope off the table and rose from his chair. Kingsley rose as well. The two men shook hands before bidding farewell. Kingsley returned to work, analyzing the recent reports that had been coming into the Ministry on the case the Draco and now Ron were working on. It appeared as though there had been recent activity regarding Smith and his following in the United States according to the MACUSA.

Upon Mr. Weasley's arrival at Mr. Malfoy's hotel, the pair would be taking off for their next location. Kingsley finished preparing the file they would need so that he could send it off with an owl before the work day was through.

. . . . . . .

 _~ December 1998 ~_

Walking into the dungeons, Hermione pushed aside the thoughts of her fight with Ron so that she could focus on her exam. Her Potions exam was the one thing that stood in her way before she could enjoy her weekend. Although, breaking up with Ron wasn't part of her original plan, but that didn't matter now.

She shook her head as she pulled out her quills and ink, sitting down to begin her exam. She glanced over her shoulder, her eyes meeting Draco's before she turned back around. It seemed odd that he met her gaze. The thought crossed her mind that maybe he'd overheard the spat going on in her room earlier today. She couldn't think about that now. However, that didn't stop her from making a mental note to ask him about it later.

"You have two hours to complete the written portion of this exam. We will brew the potions next class," Snape announced as he closed the door behind him swiftly. "Begin."

The room fell to absolute silence, aside from the dull scrapings of the quills pressed against parchment. To most of the students it seemed as though time was standing still. Occasionally, the sound of someone flipping a page would lure a student out of concentration, but when they looked around the room and their eyes met those of Snape's, they quickly focused once again on their work.

Approximately an hour and thirty minutes into the allotted exam time, Hermione had finished her copy. She quickly gathered up her things and dropped her paper off on Snape's desk before she hurried out of the room. Unbeknownst to her, Draco Malfoy had finished his exam about the same time she did and was following her out into the hallway.

"Hey Granger, wait up!" he called, hastening his step to catch up to her.

Upon hearing his voice, she stopped in her tracks and took a deep breath. As she exhaled, Hermione turned around slowly, worrying her lip and clutching her books to her chest. There was a small part of her that was thankful that it was Draco she had turned around to see and not Ron or Harry following after her closely.

She plastered a smile on her face as he neared. "What's up?" she asked.

"What'd you think of that exam?" he replied, carding a hand through his hair as he studied her face momentarily to get some kind of a read on how she was doing post fight with the Weasel. However, he found no indicators of anything.

Hermione looked at him a moment. It wasn't unusual for Draco to ask her about an exam, but it didn't typically happen until they were both back in their common room for the evening. It was part of their normal wind down routine each day. A habit that she'd grown accustomed to over the previous few months of school.

Shrugging, she replied, "It was easier than I had expected it to be. I was shocked to see questions about Amorentia and Polyjuice on there. We haven't looked at those potions since the end of last term."

Draco laughed to himself. _Typical Hermione. Why worry about the other things going on in her life when there is an exam to worry about?_ He smiled at her and nodded his head before responding. "Yeah, I was shocked to see those questions too. Maybe he just wanted to see what we remembered from last year."

"Possibly," Hermione replied with a laugh. "Headed back to the dorms?"

"Not yet," Draco said, shaking his head briefly. "I need to talk to Professor Trelawney about something for class tomorrow. But after I talk to her, I'll be headed back."

Hermione nodded her head slowly, but furrowed her brow as she tried to remember what they had talked about in Divination last class that Draco would have a question about. She shook her head to push the thoughts aside. She had other more important things to worry about. Like getting back to her dorm before Ron could chase her down in the hallway. Their break up was something that she was not going to change her mind about.

"Everything okay?" he asked, tilting his head and furrowing his brow in concern.

She turned to him and smiled, placing a gently hand on his shoulder. "I will be. Thanks for asking."

A few more voices could be heard entering the hallway from Snape's classroom. Two voices that both Hermione and Draco recognized very well. Harry and Ron had finished their exams and were on their way back to the dorms.

Hermione sighed, "I need to get going. I'll see you later."

"I'll distract them to give you a little more time to get back," Draco said with a wink, turning on his heels and walking back towards the dungeon.

Hermione smiled softly to herself, tucking a stray tendril behind her ear as she began her journey back to her dorm. She lost herself in her thoughts so that she couldn't read too much into the situation at hand.

Nearing Potter and the Weasel, Draco smiled to himself. He knew that allowing Hermione to have some time to himself was the least that he could do. Especially considering it was partially his fault that she was having a rough afternoon. He'd apologize for it later, but for now he would be her much needed distraction.

He was busy fighting his natural urge to roll his eyes when the pair were within earshot. Draco took a deep breath before initiating conversation with them. It was going to take all of his conscious effort not to say something snippy to the two of them. He didn't want to cause anymore problems for Hermione.

"What does he want?" Ron grumbled as he and Harry approached Draco.

Draco smiled and bit his tongue as he stepped in front of the pair. "I just wanted to see what you both thought of that exam," he replied innocently.

Harry furrowed his brow as he looked between his best friend and his enemy. He knew that something had been bothering Ron when he came back to the Gryffindor common room, but he wasn't entirely sure what it had been because Ron refused to talk any louder than a mumble when he'd returned. It appeared as though Draco had something to do with Ron's foul mood, however, as he watched the two interact.

"Bug off, Malfoy," Ron replied, brushing past Draco as he took a few deep breaths. As certain as he was that punching Malfoy in his smug little face would make him feel better, he knew that wouldn't help the situation with Hermione.

Draco turned and grabbed Ron's arm. "Would you answer the damn question, Weasley?" Draco hissed, gritting his teeth to keep his temper in check.

"Get your bloody hands off of me," Ron yelled, whipping around to face Draco. His eyes narrowed as they met the icy blue ones staring back at him. He could see that Draco was fighting the urge to haul off and knock him out as well. All he needed to do was get Draco to make the first swing and then all hell would break loose.

"Malfoy, let him go," Harry insisted, trying to step in between the two before anything more than a few insults could go flying. He nodded as he watched Draco slowly take his hand off of Ron and slip it into the pocket of his robes.

Draco took a step backwards and shook his head. "Nevermind," he said calmly, "Its not worth it. I'll see you in class." He began to walk away when he heard Ron open his mouth.

"Was it worth it when you broke me and 'Mione up?" Ron shouted, shoving Draco's shoulder which led him to stumble a bit when he walked away.

Draco spun quickly on his heels ready to shove Ron back, but froze in his tracks as the words replayed in his mind. _Ron and Hermione had broken up earlier._ "That's why she wanted time alone in her dorm," he mumbled as he turned back around and started heading towards his dorm. It was never his intention to break the pair up. He just wanted to get under Ron's skin. Now he wanted to make sure that Hermione was alright.

"Are you fuckin' kidding?" Ron burst out, dropping his bag and took off after Draco. However, Harry stepped in front of him before he could get going up to full speed. "Get out of my way, Harry."

Harry placed his hand on Ron's shoulder gently and shook his head. "Leave him alone," he said calmly.

"Get your hand off of me," Ron hissed, taking a step away from Harry only to have him step in his way again. "Harry, move."

"No," Harry replied, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm not going anywhere until you explain to me what the hell is going on."

As Ron and Harry talked, a small crowd of their fellow Potions classmates had gathered around them. The more people that crowded around them, the louder the argument became. Draco glanced back over his shoulder and saw the crowd. He paused and turned to watch the rest of the interaction take place.

"Why don't you ask him," Ron shouted, pointing in Draco's direction. Every head snapped to face Draco and there was a parting of the crowd.

Draco put his hands up in the air and shook his head. "Look, Weasel. It wasn't my intention to break you two up. I was just asking an innocent question."

Ron rushed forward through the crowd toward Draco. "You knew damn well what you were starting. The innocent act isn't going to work now. She's not here to jump to your defense like she always does."

Ron was now mere inches away from Draco's face, so in retaliation, Draco took it upon himself to close the gap that was remaining between them. He pressed a finger firmly into Ron's shoulder as he spoke. "What happened after she closed the door to her room is on you, not me. So suck it up, and accept the fact that it's your fault."

With that said, Draco spun back around and walked away. As he rounded the corner he heard Snape's voice booming over the crowd of people. He laughed to himself and shook his head before slipping into the common room for the dorm he shared with Hermione.

. . . . . . . . .

 _~ January 2018 ~_

He found her curled up in a ball on the couch when he had come home from work that afternoon. Her note caught him off guard, but he knew that dealing with Ron wasn't always the easiest situation so he couldn't really blame her for taking the rest of the afternoon off. He smiled to himself as he walked and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

She stirred slightly and turned towards the movement. A smile appeared on her face when she opened her eyes and saw him. Stretching her arm above her head, she pushed herself up off the couch into a sitting position. "Hey you," she said.

He leaned forward and kissed her gently. "How'd it go with Weasley today?" he asked, brushing a loose curl behind her ear and cupping her cheek.

She sighed and brushed her lips against his hand, placing a soft kiss on his blame as she contemplated her answer. There was a part of her that wanted to tell him exactly what happened, but in the process of what she did to try and help Ron, she had also altered Draco's memories. Telling him exactly what happened would only contradict the memories that he had of their past.

"It went as well as expected. I think he had a little too much to drink last night at the pub and he wasn't feeling all that well," she said, placing her hand on his lap. "Did he make it into the office?"

Draco nodded. "He was groggy, but if he was hungover that makes a lot of sense."

Hermione smiled softly, however there was a pain in her eyes that Draco noticed. He knew how hard it had been for her dealing with Ron. He hadn't taken well to Hermione becoming his boss. To be honest, it had been a shock to Draco's own system as well. Although, at the time, he knew that Hermione was the best person for the job. None of them were ready for that much responsibility at the time. Thanks to Hermione, the job pretty much ran itself now.

She watched him for a few moments. She hated lying to him, but even if she told him the truth at this point, he wouldn't believe her. So she scooted over on the couch and invited him to cuddle up with her for just a few minute before they both needed to get some other stuff done.

. . . . . . . .

 _~ April 2020 ~_

There was a faint knocking at his door and Draco's head dropped with a sigh as he rose from the couch. He carded his hand through his hair as he approached the door. He took a deep breath as he reached out to grab the knob. Having a partner to work cases was one thing, but having one assigned because the Minister doesn't think you are capable of doing your job is a whole different scenario.

If he had to have a partner, he would have prefered it be his wife. She could get anyone to talk to her regardless of who she was with. Unfortunately, the Minister decided she needed to be elsewhere right now, so Ron Weasley would have to do.

As he opened the door he was met with a familiar face. One that he never thought would be assigned to him as a partner. He always thought he'd be the one assigning partners rather than out in the field.

"Hello Malfoy."


	8. Reassurance

**A/N:** So I'm back with another chapter to this lovely story! I do apologize for the gaps in between updates. The muse can only do so much with certain stories.

I'm participating in NaNo where I'm working on a variety of projects, primarily Christmas, but sometimes my other fics make it in there too.

Since my last update of this story, I have completed Lost Letters of Love! Please go check it out and leave it some love if you have not already! :)

All the love to my wonderful beta, xxDustNight88 for everything. I wouldn't still be writing if it weren't for her.

If you are interested in checking out my other works or keeping up with me in general, I have an author's page on Facebook that you can check out (starrnobella Fanfiction) as well as a group (starrnobella Fanfiction Friends & Fans) that I am very active in on a daily basis. I'm also on tumblr (starrnobella) that you can follow along with me as well.

If you enjoy the chapter, please consider leaving a review! :)

Love always,  
~starr

* * *

 _~ April 1999 ~_

Reaching for the door knob, Hermione took a deep breath and painted a smile on her face. She knew who was waiting for her on the other side and her heart skipped a beat just waiting for the moment their eyes would meet. She turned the knob slowly and pulled the door toward her.

Standing on the other side was none other than Draco Malfoy dressed in a button down dress shirt and khaki pants with a single red rose in his hands. His eyes lit up when he saw her and he carded a hand through his hair.

"Wow, Grang - er, Hermione, you look beautiful," he said, leaning up against the door frame as he eyed her up and down once more. The smile on his face never fading. He noticed the rose out of the corner of his eye and extended it towards her. "This is for you."

Hermione blushed and happily accepted the rose. Their hands touching for the briefest of moments as the rose passed from his fingers to hers. The smile on her lips grew larger. "Thank you, Draco. It's lovely," she replied. "Let me get it some water before we leave."

Just as she turned to walk away from him, she felt a gentle touch on her elbow. Pausing, she turned back around and tilted her head to the side as she looked at him, trying to figure out his next move.

He closed the space between them and moved his hand from her elbow to around her waist. His face just inches above hers. She watched as his steely blue eyes studied her face. They seemed focused on her lips. Absentmindedly, she wet her lips with the tip of her tongue as her eyes fluttered shut.

Almost immediately after her eyes closed, she felt him press his lips to hers gently as his arm wrapped tighter around her waist. Her lips turned up into a smile as she parted them gently to allow his tongue to slip inside. Graciously he accepted the invitation and brushed his tongue against hers as she snaked her tongue between his lips as well.

They remained frozen in time like for a few moments, just taking the time to get to know one another in a way that they hadn't done often. Draco was the first to pull his lips away as he rested his forehead against hers and took a shallow breath as a smile grew on his lips.

Hermione kept her eyes closed as she took a shallow breath of her own before leaning back to look up at him. She searched his eyes for a sign that he was going to say something. She hoped that it was just his nerves getting the best of him and that he wasn't regretting asking her out. Leave it to her mind to be convinced that something is wrong with her.

"Everything okay?" she whispered, secretly hoping he hadn't heard her.

He smiled and pressed his lips to her forehead before releasing his hold on her waist. "Everything is perfect. I just wanted to kiss you," he said with a laugh.

Hermione sighed inwardly, but rolled her eyes as she shook her head. "Let me get this in some water and then I might let you kiss me again." She could hear him snort as she walked into the bathroom to get some water for the rose.

He was still standing in the doorway when she returned with the rose in a small vase and set it on her bedside table. She couldn't help thinking how handsome he looked standing there. She really was a lucky witch, she thought to herself as she grabbed her clutch off the bed.

"Ready to go?" she asked, stopping just in front of him with a smile on her face.

"As I'll ever be," he replied, offering her his hand which she took gratefully. Allowing her to lead the way, he pulled her bedroom door closed behind them and the two made their way to the Three Broomsticks to enjoy their evening.

. . . . . . . .

 _~ December 2005 ~_

"Hermione Jean Granger, would you make me the luckiest man in the world by marrying me?"

Hermione stared at him for a few moments contemplating her answer, lowering her hands away from her mouth. In her heart, she knew what her answer was going to be and she enjoyed watching the panic spread over Draco's face. She enjoyed torturing him with the suspense of not knowing whether she'd say yes or no.

His eyes searched hers for an answer. He could feel his heartbeat quicken with each second that he waited for her to speak. He wasn't used to being the nervous one of the two of them. Usually, he left that up to her. Although from the smile he could say playing at her lips, his nerves seemed to subside just a little bit.

"Well?" he asked, swallowing deeply. He bit his lip to keep the smile that was starting to appear at bay. He wrapped his hand around one of hers and squeezed gently before releasing his hold.

She cupped his cheek with her hand and slowly nodded her head up and down. A smile beaming brightly from her face as a few stray tears rolled down her cheek.

Draco rose from his knee and pressed his lips to hers. The kiss full of urgency and desire. He wrapped his arms around her waist and picked her up off the ground. When he felt her wrap her legs around his waist, he smiled into the kiss and pulled her closer to his body. He walked them over toward the couch and set her down on the arm rest.

After a few moments, they finally came back up for air. Each one smiling from ear to ear. Draco brushed the tears away from her cheeks and pressed his lips to her forehead for a few moments.

"I hope those are happy tears," he said with a laugh, cupping her cheek with his hand. He smiled when she nodded her head up and down. "Good."

"Very good," she replied, leaning her forehead back against his as she smiled softly. She remained there for a few more moments before leaning back to look at him. "Can I see my ring?"

Draco tossed his head back with a lap as he unentangled his arms from around her waist and presented the ring box to her. He smiled when he saw her eyes light up at the site. He had done good and he was damn proud of himself.

"Do you like it?" he whispered.

"I love it," she laughed, crashing her lips into his with an urgency he had never felt from her before.

. . . . . . . .

 _~ April 1999 ~_

Arriving at the Three Broomsticks, the couple was escorted to a table toward the back of the restaurant secluded from the hustle and bustle that seemed to be going on closer to the bar. When the maître d delivered them to their table, Draco shook his hand, delivering a generous tip before pulling out Hermione's chair.

"Enjoy your evening," the maître d said before returning to the chaos.

Hermione smiled, tucking a stray curl behind her ear. "So how you'd you manage the quietest seat in the house?" she said with a laugh.

The smirk on Draco's face said it all. She knew that dating Draco Malfoy would be a new experience compared to her previous boyfriends. Although anything would be a new experience when compared to dating Ronald Weasley.

As soon as his name entered her mind, she shook her head to push the unhappy thoughts aside and turned her thoughts back to Draco, the handsome guy sitting across from her with a smile painted on his face.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked, reaching a hand across the table to brush his fingertips against her arm. He could tell she was lost in her thoughts and he wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing.

She tilted her head forward and gently put her other hand on his as a smile graced her face. "You," she said simply, sitting up a little straighter as she she brushed her fingers back and forth across his hand.

Surprised by her answer, Draco flipped his hand over and interlaced his fingers with hers as he thought about how to proceed. He knew that her life had basically been flipped completely upside down in the last year alone.

"What about me?" he asked playfully, worrying his lip as he waited for her response. He could practically hear the gears turning in her head from across the table and it worried him.

There was no denying that Draco Malfoy had faults. He was after all the son of a man who was currently sitting in Azkaban for his crimes against the Wizarding Community. And for some odd reason, Hermione couldn't stop the smile that would form on her lips or the butterflies that would fill her stomach anytime he crossed her mind. There was just something about him. Something different.

"Just how handsome you look tonight," she replied, the corners of her lips turning up into a grin as she watched a smile appear on his lips.

"Thank you, love," he said, "but I don't look nearly as good as you tonight."

. . . . . . . .

"I can't believe that someone like you did any of those things," Draco said, shaking his head as he leaned forward to grab his drink and take a sip of it before placing the glass back on the table.

"What do you mean someone like me?" she asked, furrowing her brow as she crossed her arms over her chest as she leaned back in her chair, eyeing him up as she waited for an answer.

"I didn't mean it to be negative," Draco sighed, carding a hand through his hair. "Just forget I said anything."

With a smile, Hermione leaned forward and uncrossed her arms as she reached across the table and placed her hand on his. "I'm only teasing you," she said sweetly. "I knew what you meant, hell even I'm still surprised at some of the things that I've done in my past."

"You and me both," Draco replied with a laugh.

"Draco," she asked tentatively.

"Yes, Hermione?" he replied.

"Why did you ask me out to dinner tonight?" The words practically fell out of her mouth before she was able to think her question out thoroughly. The expression on his face told her that he definitely wasn't expecting to have that conversation this evening, but it was something that had been on her mind since she responded to his invitation.

There had never been any indication that he liked her before the kiss they had shared at the Yule Ball. Although that could have been tied into the fact that she was dating Ron at the time, but still he had never really flirted with her in a serious manner. Usually it was just a snide remarked designed to get under Ron's skin and then he would leave the room and her to deal with Ron's temperament.

"Because I wanted to spend more time with you," Draco replied after a few moments.

Hermione shook her head. "No, no, no. Not the cop out easy answer, Malfoy. I want to get down to the nitty gritty as to why you sought me out after the ball."

"Firing the hard questions at me tonight, I see," he said with a laugh.

She smiled and nodded her head firmly. She wasn't about to let him get away with the easy answers tonight. There was a part of her deep down that just needed to know what exactly was going through his mind.

"I asked you out to dinner tonight because I realized that there was something missing in my life. Someone is a better word, I guess," he began, "After the Yule Ball, I realized that there was something between us. I wasn't sure what, so I set out to find out.

"So I asked you to help me study which allowed me to get to know you a little bit better. Sharing a common room with you though has opened my eyes to a lot of things. Both things that I was interested in knowing and things I had no interest in. I've overheard too many of your conversations with the Weaselette…but I digress.

"After a while though, I decided that I wanted more than a few stolen kisses while we were studying and just following our set routine that we basically fell into after a while. I wanted to get to know you on a more intimate level, both physically and emotionally.

"Which is what led us here," he said with a shrug.

. . . . . . . .

 _~ December 2005 ~_

"I can't stop looking at it," Hermione mumbled, twisting her hand slightly as she watched the light reflect off of the facets at a variety of angles. She blushed when she looked up and realized that Draco had been staring at her with a smile on her face. Tucking a stray curl of hair behind her ear, she bit her lip. "It really is beautiful, Draco. I love it."

"Someone with your beauty deserves a beautiful ring," Draco replied, pulling her into his lap on the couch in the middle of the living room at his parents' home.

"No funny business, Draco," she hummed as she snuggled into his lap, resting her head on his shoulder. She took a deep breath as she looked at the ring on her finger. As perfect as everything was at that exact moment, something in her mind wasn't accepting that everything was exactly as it seemed to be. "Are you sure this is what you want?" she asked, her voice barely audible.

He hadn't heard her exactly what she had said, so with his brow furrowed he turned to face her as he leaned up from the back of the couch a little bit and took her hand in his. "What was that?" he asked. "I don't think I heard what you said correctly."

Looking at her hand, she took a deep breath and exhaled sharply. "I said, are you sure this is what you want?" Lifting her hand in his general direction, she flexed her fingers a little bit causing the stone to reflect light once again.

Quickly Draco took her hand into his with one hand hand looped his finger under her chin, lifting her head so that she was looking at him. "I thought that's what you asked," he began, but stopped, taking a quick look around the room before deciding that this wasn't the best place to have this conversation. There were too many people in here that could misconstrue the conversation, and he didn't need to make things any worse for her than her mind was already making them.

"Let's go for a walk," he said, tapping her legs gently. As the pair rose from the couch, he quickly interlaced his fingers with hers and tugged her toward the back door that exited out on the patio from the sitting room.

He noticed his mother keeping a keen eye on them and shook his head towards her. Narcissa knew about Draco's present for Hermione and had wanted to congratulate the happy couple, but Draco had told her to hold off momentarily. He just wanted it to be something special between the two of them, but her seeing them now sneaking out of the room brought a great concern to her mind. A concern that he was hoping he could explain away when they returned to the party.

Once they were outside, Draco pulled Hermione into a tight embrace and kissed the top of her head while she was nuzzled into his chest. Before pulling away, he took a deep breath and interlocked his hand with her's.

She looked up at him through her lashes and he noticed a few stray tears had managed to fall down her cheeks. He brushed them away with his thumb and cupped her cheek. "Hermione, you know I love you, right?"

She nodded her head slowly, nuzzling her cheek into his hand as she continued to look up at him.

He smiled at her reaction, at least she knew that much about him. Now he had to do something about the self doubt that he could see rearing its ugly head as he looked in her eyes. After everything she had been through, he could understand where the self doubt and concern was coming from. If he was being honest with himself, he was dealing with many similar internal questions and was still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that she accepted his proposal.

"I want you to take a look at that ring on your finger," Draco said, moving slightly so that she could bring her hand up to where they both could see the beautiful diamond on her tiny hand. He took her hand in his and rubbed this thumb back and forth along the back of her hand. "Do you want to know a secret about that ring?"

Hermione nodded her head, refusing to take her eyes off the engagement ring. She knew if she looked up at him at any point while he spoke, she would most likely start crying once again. He cared for her so much, and sometimes she didn't think she deserved someone as wonderful as him.

"My Nan on my mum's side gave that ring to me before she passed away, but she made me make her a promise. Granted, I was like fifteen when we made the promise, but I would never break a promise I made to her," Draco explained before tilting her head up to look at him and gently pressing his lips to hers briefly. "Do you want to know what the promise was?"

She laughed, nodding her head. "Yes, I'd like to know what you promised your Nan."

"She made me promise her that I would give this to the witch who stole my heart when I asked her to marry me, and do you want to know who the first person to pop into my mind when she told me that was?" he asked.

"Who?" she asked, quirking her head to the side as she studied his face.

"You," he replied.

Taken back by the confession, Hermione was at a loss for words. As she thought about his confession, she began to realize just how much he had changed from their fourth year into their fifth. Sure he was still a tosser from time to time, but she had equated that to his house and the people he chose to associate himself with. During that time, he didn't have much of a choice other than to follow in his father's footsteps and continue on the path of destruction that he was on leading up to the Wizarding War.

"So that's why you quit being a tosser," she said with a laugh after a heavy silence had surrounded them. The surprise on his face brightened her smile as she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his.

"I was never a tosser to you…" he mumbled, carding a hand through his hair before wrapping both of his arms around her waist and pulling her in close to him.

"You were never as rude to me as you were to Harry and Ron, but you had your moments," she teased. "But that still doesn't answer my question…"

"I am one million percent sure that you are the person that I want to spend the rest of my life with. You complete me in ways that up until the day I met you, I didn't even know I was missing pieces in. You are the person that I want to always have in my corner because you have more faith in me than I could ever imagine having in myself. You are the person that I want to wake up next to every morning and fall asleep next to every night," he said, wrapping his arms securely around her waist as he pulled her so that she was standing flesh up against him. "I wouldn't have asked you to marry me if I wasn't sure that you were the one that I wanted."


	9. A New Chapter

**A/N:** Yes, I'm well aware of the irony of the name of this chapter, but I will be honest with you it completely fits the feel of this chapter. I know it's been a while since I've updated, but to work on this story I really have to be in the right mindset to write it.

I'm sorry if you aren't a fan of the time jumps, but I personally think they help with the timing of this story and how I'm actually able to sit down and write it.

All the love to my wonderful beta for this chapter, GaeilgeRua. She's a rock star and a wonderful person! If you haven't read anything she's written, then you should really go check her out!

All the usual disclaimers apply, not sure if I've mentioned them in this story recently.

If you are interested in checking out my other works or keeping up with me in general, I have an author's page on Facebook that you can check out (starrnobella Fanfiction) as well as a group (starrnobella Fanfiction Friends & Fans). I'm also on tumblr (starrnobella)!

If you enjoy the chapter, please consider leaving a review! :)

Love always,  
~starr

* * *

 _~ June 2007 ~_

"Draco," Hermione began, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes as her voice began to falter slightly. Today was supposed to be the happiest day of her life, so why was she crying right now? If she was being honest with herself, they were happy tears, but she was overwhelmed with emotions all the same. She smiled when she saw how Draco was looking at her right now. Everything was exactly as it was supposed to be.

"I take you as my husband, with your faults and your strengths," she continued, pausing briefly as she squeezed his hand gently. "As I offer myself to you with my faults and my strengths. And Merlin knows I've got a lot of them."

She paused to laugh at her own remark and everyone watching joined in her laughter. Draco smirked and nodded his head as he squeezed her hand. The two of them were a right old mess, but they wouldn't have it any other way.

"I will help you when you need help, and turn to you when I need help. I choose you as the person with whom I will spend my life," Hermione finished as a single tear rolled down her cheek. She reached up to wipe the tear away and smiled when she noticed a similar stain on Draco's cheek.

She reached over and cupped his cheek, brushing the pad of her thumb over the tear stain. He nuzzled his cheek into her hand and smiled at her. Turning to kiss her palm softly, he lifted his head once again.

This was the beginning of something amazing and neither one of them could wait to see where this wonderful ride was going to take them.

. . . . . . . . .

 _~ January 2008 ~_

Pushing herself up off the bed quickly, Hermione made a mad dash for the bathroom attached to the bedroom that she and Draco shared. She covered her mouth with her hand as she burst into the room and flipped on the lights quickly before kneeling down in front of the toilet and lifting the lid as the dry heaves started to take over.

She leaned her head forward and hoped that the torture would end soon. This had been the her typical wake up call every morning for the last week and a half. For the life of her, Hermione could not figure out what the hell had gotten into her system that just didn't want to leave.

Sighing, Draco tossed the blankets aside and rolled out of before padding to the bathroom door. He frowned when he found her with her head hidden inside porcelain bowl. His heart ached for her as he stood helpless in the doorway. He had eaten at the same restaurants recently and he was feeling fine. Apparently, she had caught some sort of bug recently and was the victim of the latest virus that had been going around.

"I'm so sick of these dry heaves," Hermione huffed, leaning back and brushing a hand through her hair. When she looked up, she spotted Draco watching her with a concerned look upon his face. She frowned when she realized that she had probably woken him up in her rush to get out of bed.

"Did I wake you?" she asked, pouting her lip out as far as she could get it as she fluttered her lashes briefly. She could feel a few tears beginning to well up in the corners of her eyes. _Why did she feel like she was about to cry?_ It wasn't the first time that she had accidentally woken Draco up in the middle of the night for no good reason other than she wasn't feeling well.

Draco shook his head furiously, taking a few steps toward her and then crouching down to rest a gentle hand on her back. "Nope, I was mostly awake before you kicked me in your effort to get out from under the covers," he said, a smile pulling at the corners of his lips.

Hermione rolled her eyes before leaning over to rest her head against Draco's shoulder. "I didn't mean to kick you," she mumbled, fighting the smile that she could feel tugging at her lips.

Lowering himself to the floor beside her, Draco wrapped and arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to his chest. He pressed his lips softly to the top of her head and laughed. "I know you didn't mean to, doesn't mean I won't tease you about it."

Hermione stuck her tongue out at him before nuzzling her head into his chest. "I feel like shite," she huffed.

"I'm sorry, love," Draco replied, rubbing his hand along her side. "Do you think it may have been something you ate recently?"

Hermione shook her head. "I don't think so. If it was food related, then you'd be feeling poorly too. And if I'm not mistaken, you feel perfectly fine, right?"

Draco nodded his head slowly. "Yeah, I feel fine. Maybe you got a nasty case of the stomach virus that has been going around the Ministry lately…" Draco said, his voice trailing off slightly as his mind worked over the number of out of office memos he had seen flying around the office recently.

"Maybe," Hermione hummed, taking a deep breath as she leaned forward and pressed herself up off the floor. "I think," she began, pausing as a rush of nausea overtook her, "Nevermind."

Dropping to her knees again, Hermione leaned over and a flood of more dry heaves overtook her body once again.

Draco frowned and pushed himself up off the floor. He walked over to the sink, grabbing a flannel off the rack and ran some cold water over it. Wringing out the excess water, Draco walked back over to Hermione and handed it to her. He watched as she tentatively took it from his hand and pressed it to her forehead.

"Thanks," she mumbled, exhaling sharply. "Go back to bed. I'll join you soon."

"I don't mind -," Draco began, but stopped when Hermione spoke up again.

"We both have to work tomorrow. One of us should get a full night's sleep and I can tell right now that it won't be me," she replied. "I promise. I'll join you soon."

Draco sighed, "You know you could call in sick tomorrow. No one would be upset with you if you called off."

"I know, but I'll be fine in a few hours. It's just something about 2 am apparently," Hermione laughed, faking a smile the best she could. "Please, go get some sleep."

"Okay, but I'm not happy about it," Draco said, pouting his lip as he crossed his arms. "If you aren't laying beside me in like an hour, I'm going to come find you."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Hermione said with a smile. "I love you."

"I love you too," he said, turning on his heel slowly and walking back into their bedroom.

Hermione sighed as she watched him walk away. Something was definitely up with her body, and she needed to figure out what exactly was going on. Maybe it was time to make an appointment with the Mediwitch.

. . . . . . . .

 _~ June 2007 ~_

"I choose you, Hermione," Draco began, squeezing her hand softly as he smiled at her, "to be my wife, as my best friend and true love. On this day, I affirm the relationship we have enjoyed, looking to the future and to keep it and strengthen it."

As he recited the words, Draco smiled broadly. He meant every single word that was coming out of his mouth. Sure, there were days in their younger years, where one or both of them thought would stop them from getting to this day, but here they were. They were standing in front of the friends that they considered to be family and the family that they had left in London.

He knew how hard today was for Hermione without her family, especially since she had always dreamed of having her father giver her away at her wedding someday. He could see the pain lurking in the back of her eyes as she looked around the ceremony, saddened by the fact that they weren't there.

However, Draco had a plan. One that he hoped might bring a smile to her face, even if it's only for a little while. He didn't want her to go through her wedding day without seeing her parents and besides, no one would miss the bride and groom for a few hours, would they?

"I will be yours in plenty and in want," Draco continued, but paused momentarily before he continued on with the next piece. "In sickness, both real and faked, and in health."

They both laughed at the comment. Each one reminded of a few times at Hogwarts were they had decided to play hooky from a class or two because they were sick. Or at least they tried to until Hermione ultimately decided that she just couldn't skip class for no reason and dragged a reluctant Draco along with her.

"In failure and in triumph, no matter where either of those may take us. Together, we will dream, and live as one while respecting one another. We will stumble, or at least I will," Draco said with a smirk, which brought a smile to Hermione's face as a stray tear rolled its way down her cheek that she quickly reached up and wiped away.

"I will love you enough to risk being hurt, trust you when I don't understand, weep with you in heartache, and celebrate life with you in joy. I will receive you as my equal throughout all of our days," he finished, reaching up to cup her cheek and brush the rest of the tears that he had noticed beginning to roll down her cheeks more freely now.

Hermione smiled and nuzzled into his hand, but noticed that his eyes were welling up with a few stray tears as well. Calmly, she reached up, cupping his cheek and gently brushed her thumb along his cheek bone, wiping the stray tear away that had managed to escape.

"I love you," she mouthed.

"I love you, too," he responded in kind.

. . . . . . . .

 _~ February 2008 ~_

Hermione looked up at the clock on the wall for the umpteenth time and sighed when she noticed it still read the same time as it did just moments before. Fighting the urge to roll her eyes, she reached down and picked up a magazine off the table just beside her. Maybe if she distracted herself, the time would move by quicker.

 _Witch Weekly - June 2007_ , she thought to herself as she began to scan the images on the front cover. _Oh look, there I am in my beautiful wedding dress. And there's Draco. He looks so handsome._

She shook her head furiously. Now was not the time to reminisce on her wedding and how handsome her husband was. She was here for a reason and that was to figure out why in Merlin's name she had been getting sick every day for the last week and a half.

She had her suspicions, but she needed someone else to say it out loud before she was going to able to accept it. Although, accepting the suspicion wasn't the right word she was looking for, but right now it really didn't matter.

Just as she was about to get up out of her seat and check back in with the receptionist, an aide walked out of the double doors at the end of the waiting room.

"Mrs. Malfoy?" the timid aide called out, searching around the room. She was probably looking for a woman with straight, long blonde hair. People were still adjusting to the idea that the Malfoy heir hadn't married someone who looked exactly like his parents.

"Right here," Hermione responded, rising from the seat and gathering her belongings. She walked over to the aid and extended her hand to the young woman with a smile on her face. "Please, call me Hermione. Mrs. Malfoy is my mother-in-law."

"Of course, Hermione," she replied. "Right this way. You'll be in exam room three."

"Thanks," Hermione said, nodding her head in acknowledgement. Quickly, she made her way down the hall toward her assigned room. Once inside, she sighed. Hopefully, by the time she left here, all her questions would be answered.

"The Mediwitch will be in to see you shortly. While you wait, we'd appreciate it if you'd fill out these forms," the aide said with a smile, handing her the forms. "It's just a formality to let the Mediwitch know what exactly she's dealing with."

"Oh, right," Hermione replied, taking the forms out of her hand. The aide smiled at her once more before making her way out of the room.

Hermione looked down and scanned the pages in her hands. They looked identical to the ones she had filled out in the waiting room. What was it about the hospital that required so many copies of the exact same paperwork?

Shaking her head, she set to work filling the information out, verbatim to how she had filled it out earlier. It took her about fifteen minutes to fill everything out, and as she was setting the papers down beside her the door to her room opened, and the Mediwitch walked in.

"Hello, my name is Miriam," she announced cheerfully as she closed the door behind her. "And you are?"

"Hermione Malfoy," Hermione replied, reaching out a hand to shake with the Mediwitch.

"That's right, I do remember seeing your name on my appointment list today," Miriam said, quickly shaking Hermione's hand before taking a seat beside where she was sitting. "So what can I help you with today? It says on your forms that you've been dealing with some nausea, are you dealing with any other symptoms?"

"The biggest issue has been the nausea, but now that I think about it a little more," Hermione said, pausing momentarily as she ran a hand through her hair. "I've had some other things going on lately as well that I can't really explain."

Miriam reached over and grabbed a notepad off the counter beside where she was sitting. "Well, the nausea's a good place to start. Why don't you tell me what's been going on with you and I'll take some notes, then we'll see where we end up?"

Hermione nodded her head slowly. That sounded reasonable, or at least that was what she was going to convince herself of for the time being. "I'm tired, like all the time lately. I originally thought that it was just because of the nausea, but then the tiredness lasted later into the day than the nausea did.

"I've also noticed some weird spotting lately, and normally my cycle is regular. I was trying to determine what that was all about, but then I realized that it could have been stress-related, so I tried not to think about it anymore," Hermione said, a nervous laugh escaping her lips. Normally she didn't talk about something so personal with a total stranger, but at this point, she was willing to do anything to figure out what was wrong with her.

"Very interesting. Have your eating habits changed at all lately or has your husband pointed anything unusual out to you lately?" Miriam asked, pressing the butt of her pen against her lower lip briefly.

Worrying her lip briefly, Hermione pondered the Mediwitch's question quietly. Over the last few weeks she had been turning her nose up at a few dishes that she normally loved eating. She thought that the aversion to the food could have been caused by the nausea, but maybe it was a symptom of an underlying problem.

"Now that you mention it, I haven't been eating nearly as much lately. I thought it was just because of the nausea and it caused me to lose my appetite, but it really only has been certain foods," Hermione said, shrugging her shoulders. "I hadn't thought much about it before."

"Normally people don't seem to make the connection between the nausea and the aversion to foods for the same reason that you have pointed out," Miriam said with a smile, reaching over to place a gentle hand on Hermione's knee. "Can you think of any other symptoms that you may be experiencing? I have an idea about what the cause of your sickness may be, but I just wanted to see if there was anything else that could help me narrow it down."

Hermione scratched the top of her head and hummed quietly to herself as she thought about the last week or so. "Draco hasn't said anything, but I know I have noticed a major change in my moods lately. I'll be perfectly happy one minute and then two seconds later, I'm on the verge of tears for no reason at all."

"I see," Miriam said, nodding her head slowly as she scribbled something down on her notepad. "I'd say it's safe to assume that you and Draco have consummated the marriage, correct?"

Hermione laughed as she nodded her head. "Yes," she answered. "We've been married for a little over six months now."

"Hermione, do you think there is any chance you may be pregnant?" Miriam asked, setting the pen and notepad aside as she made eye contact with her.

. . . . . . . .

 _~ June 2007 ~_

"Hermione, will you take Draco to be your husband? Do you commit yourself to his happiness and self-fulfillment as a person? Do you promise to love, honor, and trust him in sickness and in health, in adversity and prosperity, and to be true and loyal to him so long as you both shall live?" the officiant asked, turning to face her with a smile on his face.

Hermione looked from the officiant over to Draco and smiled broadly when his eyes met hers. She slowly nodded her head and squeezed Draco's hand. "I will," she answered.

"Very good," the officiant said, turning to Draco, "Draco, will you take Hermione to be your wife? Do you commit yourself to her happiness and self-fulfillment as a person? Do you promise to love, honor, and trust her in sickness and in health, in adversity and prosperity, and to be true and loyal to her so long as you both shall live?"

"I will," Draco replied, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Wonderful," the officiant said. He clasped his hands together as he addressed the crowd that had gathered for the small ceremony. "It is my pleasure to present to you all, the newlyweds. May I introduce, Mr. and Mrs. Draco Malfoy for the very first time! You may now kiss the bride."

Draco pulled Hermione into his embrace quickly and wrapped a gentle arm around her waist, his left hand finding purchase in the small of her back. He brought his right hand up to cup her cheek as he lowered his lips to hers, kissing her with a new found passion.

The crowd joined together in applause as the newlyweds enjoyed their first kiss as husband and wife. It was a moment that both of them would remember from then until eternity, and they were determined to make it memorable. Or at least as memorable as it could be in such a public place.

As they pulled apart, Hermione rested her forehead against Draco's shoulder for a few moments before turning her face to look at him. She found a smile on his face and a sparkle in his eyes, one similar to something she had seen a few times before.

"We did it," she whispered, rising up on her tiptoes to press her lips to his once more.

"Let's celebrate," he replied, slipping his fingers in hers and leading her back down the aisle that Harry had so graciously brought her down.

A new chapter in their book was just beginning, and they were both excited to continue reading.


	10. Protocol

**A/N:** Hello darlings! I'm back with another chapter for this lovely adventure. I hope it's enjoyable for you all!

Thank you to GaeilgeRua for looking over this for me and making certain that this chapter is legible. Sometimes I'm not always sure that the words I put on page make sense.

Check on starrnobella all over social media for teasers and other fun things that I share all the time.

Let me know what you think!

Love always,  
~starr

* * *

 _~ May 2020 ~_

"Hola, señorita!"

The voice jolted her out of her thoughts and Hermione's eyes fluttered open to find an elderly man smiling at her with his hand extended towards her. She smiled softly at at him from where she had been laying on the beach chair, soaking up the sun. Adjusting herself into a sitting position, she reached out and took his hand, shaking it briefly.

"Hola, señor! Cómo estás?"

The smile on his face widen when he realized she spoke Spanish. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it softly before squeezing it gently. "Muy bien, y tu?"

"Muy bien, gracias."

"Bien, bonita flor para una bella dama?"

Hermione's eyes widened when he continued the conversation in Spanish. Only she would get caught up in a conversation with a gentleman who didn't speak much English as she was resting on the beach, waiting for her next meeting. She only knew a little Spanish and unfortunately for her, none of it was coming back besides the small pieces she had already said.

He noticed the puzzled look on her face as she attempted to figure out what he had said and he handed her one of the yellow daisies from his basket. "Para ti," he said, the smile never fading from his face.

Hermione graciously took it from him and reached down into her bag for some change to pay for it, but stopped when she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Sin costo, disfruta tu estadía en Barcelona," he said, turning to walk away from her.

"Muchas gracias," she called after him before leaning back against the chair. She sighed, reaching down into her bag aimlessly and extracting her cell phone from inside.

It had been a few days since she had last gotten a letter from Draco and according to the orders she had been given by Kingsley, she was forbidden to call him. The fact that he told her she wasn't allowed, only made her want to call him all the more. However, she knew if she called him right now, she'd only be putting him in danger.

Collapsing back in her chair, she exhaled sharply and scrolled through her phone, allowing her finger to hover over his name. One click and she could be connected to the man she loved most in the world. One click and she could throw away all of the protocol she had worked so hard to put into place during her time in the department.

She tossed her phone back into her back and picked up her book from her lap. She didn't need any distractions or temptations at the moment. There was always time for that back in the hotel room.

. . . . . . . .

 _~ January 2003 ~_

"I can't believe none of you thought about protocols for communication during missions," Hermione grumbled, shaking her head as she made her way toward her office. The stack of paper in her arms had grown significantly since she left it a little less than fifteen minutes ago.

"It was never a problem before," Yaxley said, shrugging his shoulders as he hurried to keep up with her ever quickening pace.

"Problem?" she hummed, glancing back at him over her shoulder. She knew her relationship with Draco would make things difficult working in the same department, but no one had ever referred to it as a problem before.

"I meant no offense, Ms. Granger. Only that something like this has never occurred before in our department," he assured her.

Hermione fought the urge to roll her eyes as she continued walking. She knew why that was the case, which is why they had been so secretive about their relationship in the first place. Granted, they had Kingsley's blessing, but that didn't warrant them to flaunt their relationship in the faces of everyone there. No need to draw attention to themselves.

"Well, Mr. Yaxley, it is a reality now and it is something that will need to be dealt with. I'll write it up and bring it to you once I've got it complete."

"Works for me. Don't forget, we've got a meeting with the Minister in a little over an hour in the main conference room."

Stopping in front of her office door, Hermione nodded her head and slipped inside. She closed the door behind her before dropping the stack of papers on her desk. Collapsing into her chair, she sighed. She had better plans for how to spend her afternoon rather than drafting protocol and attending a meeting with the Minister, however, her other plans could wait, seeing as time was currently of the essence.

. . . . . . . .

 _~ May 2002 ~_

"I can't believe I'm moving in here," Hermione hummed, pulling her hair up into a bun on the top of her head. Her eyes met Draco's in the reflection of the mirror in front of her. A soft smile pulled at her lips and he responded with one of his own before he stepped up behind her, wrapping his arms around her as he placed a gentle kiss on her cheek.

"I'm still in shock that you said yes," he mumbled into the side of her head.

Turning her head slightly, she furrowed her brow at him. "Why wouldn't I have said yes?"

"I don't know. I guess just with how spur of the moment the whole thing was." His eyes met hers in the mirror. She noticed a sadness there, so she quickly turned around and hopped up on the counter that stood in front of them.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him close to her and then she wrapped her legs around his waist. He cocked his head to the side as he stepped closer to her until he was able to wrap his arms securely around her waist.

"If I wasn't ready for this step, I wouldn't have said yes. But, I did say yes. So don't be shocked anymore," she said, leaning forward and placing a chaste kiss on his lips. "I love you."

"I love you too," he said, pressing his lips to hers once again. "Let's go to bed."

Pulling her tight against his body, Draco interlaced his fingers behind her back, picking her up from the counter and carried her into the bedroom. Before setting her down on the bed, he pressed his lips to hers roughly.

She tilted her head into the kiss, allowing him to deepen it for a few brief moments before pulling away. She rested her forehead against his.

"Welcome home," he whispered before pressing his lips to hers fiercely.

. . . . . . . . .

 _~ January 2003 ~_

She was leaned over her desk, writing furiously on a piece of scratch paper he had noticed sitting in front of her when he peeked his head in the door. A few stray curls had fallen from the bun she had pulled her mane up into that morning. Leaning up against the door frame, he smiled as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Too busy for some lunch?"

Her head shot up from the papers in front of her instantly. There was a slight panic in her eyes that soon faded as they met his. Her expression softened and she set the stack of papers aside. Interlacing her fingers, she placed her hands on her desk and smiled.

"That depends on what was being offered for said lunch."

Draco laughed, taking a step inside the room and closed the door behind him as he made his way over to her desk. He pulled up a chair and sat down across from her, crossing his arms over his chest once again.

"I was thinking we'd pop over to your favorite restaurant over on the corner for some good food and conversation. Just a bit of a distraction from your writing business," he said, waving his arms over the papers in front of her on the desk.

Hermione placed a finger to her lips, thinking about the offer that had been portrayed to her. As she thought about the food, she heard her stomach grumble, causing a smile to toy at her lips.

"What's the smile mean?" he asked, quirking his brow as a smile appeared on his face.

"Let's go," she replied, picking up the stack of papers she had moved and shoving them in a folder. She dropped the now stuffed folder on her desk and rose from her chair. Walking around the desk, she stopped beside him to place a chaste kiss on his lips before retrieving her jacket from the coat rack by the door.

Draco stood from his seat, walking over to the door and as he placed his hand on the doorknob, he reached over and wrapped his opposite hand around Hermione's waist and pulled her over to him.

"What are yo-?" she began to ask when she was immediately cut off as his lips met hers. She brought her arms up, draping them around his neck as she tilted her head to the side, deepening the kiss.

After a few moments, she pulled back and rested her head on his shoulder as she let out a sigh. He leaned down and rested his cheek on the side of her head, allowing his arms to rest around her waist.

"I love you."

"I love you, too. But we need to be careful about what we do at work, you know."

"I know," Draco sighed, lifting his head from hers and dropping his arms to his side. He carded a hand through his hair before reaching for the door again. Slowly he turned the knob and opened the door for her.

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and exhaled as she walked past him, shaking her head. She could tell he was upset, but he had to know she was right. Hopefully lunch would go smoothly, or else it was going to be a long afternoon.

As she took a few steps away from her office, she noticed that he hadn't followed behind her. She glanced back over her shoulder and smiled at him.

"Coming?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

Laughing, he nodded his head as he took a few steps out of her office door and pulled the door shut behind him. When he reached her side, he interlaced his fingers with hers and the two were off.

. . . . . . . . .

 _Department of Magical Law Enforcement Mission Protocol_

 _While Aurors are in the field during any missions, communication will be restricted to contact only with assigned members of the department as well as direct contact with the Minister._

 _The main method of communication will be determined on a case by case basis from the following list._

 _Letters and files transported by owls_

 _The Floo network at assigned safe houses_

 _Face to face meetings_

 _Pre-assigned portkey locations or apparition points_

 _Local Ministry locations_

 _This strict limitation means that Aurors and other field agents working assigned cases will not be in contact with the people listed on their emergency contact sheet._

 _In case of an emergency, the people listed on the dossier will be contacted by the Head Auror to inform them of the severity of the situation._

 _In the event of any of the following emergencies, the Ministry will pick up any expenses._

 _Minor Injury_

 _Major Injury/Extended Hospitalization_

 _Death_

Hermione stared at the cursor as it flashed on her screen. This document that was sitting open on her computer screen was going to be the death of her. Everything had to be worded just so, and she needed to have everything nailed down in place.

She didn't want to give Kingsley any reason to question her ideas. Yaxley had already given her the go-ahead on this project, but ultimately Kingsley would be the one to say yes or no. Sure, they could have asked anyone in the Ministry to write these protocols, but Yaxley had asked her and she was damn well going to do a good job.

"Are you coming to bed anytime soon?" a tired voice called to her from the door frame of their bedroom.

Glancing back over her shoulder she smiled at him briefly before turning back to the computer and sighing. She thought about working for a little while longer, but reached up and closed the lid on her laptop.

"Right now," she replied, pushing back the chair she had been sitting and walking across the room to his waiting arms. Nuzzling her head into the crook of his neck, she exhaled happily. This was exactly where she was meant to be right now.

. . . . . . . . .

 _~ May 2020 ~_

Lifting her phone out of her purse, Hermione glanced at the time and sighed. It was almost time for her to leave paradise and make her way to a series of meetings that would undoubtedly make for a long afternoon.

She was dreading the fact that she was going to be stuck at Barcelona-El Prat Airport for three and a half hours before her flight actually took off. One may ask why she was using muggle transportation, and honestly it was just easier that way.

There was nothing wrong with apparating, but it wasn't ideal for travel to a place she had never been. As much as she would have loved traveling to Madrid in her younger years, her childhood was not all that luxurious. At least not nearly as glamorous as her husband's appeared to have been.

Taking one last look at the time on her phone, Hermione gathered her belongings and left the sunshine and waves behind. It was time for her to get down to business. The sooner she got finished in Madrid, the sooner she'd be able to move onto the next exotic location that Kingsley had in mind for her.

Settling into her taxi, Hermione flipped her phone back over in her hand and pressed the contacts button on the screen. She scrolled her way aimlessly through the listing before landing on the section of Ministry employee numbers.

As much as she would have loved to reach out to Draco, she knew that Kingsley would have her head. Besides, once she landed in Madrid, she had planned to write him a letter anyways. Shaking her head, she reached over and shoved her phone in her bag, closing her eyes briefly. Soon enough she'd be on her way to Madrid, where her mind would be distracted from the person she happened to be missing the most.


	11. Family

**A/N:** Hey all! Sorry this has taken so long to get out. This chapter was difficult to write because of something that happened in a previous chapter that in turn is in the future in regards to this chapter. The plot of this story is extremely complex so it takes a while to get exactly where I want to get.

This chapter was self betaed, so all mistakes are my own. The usual disclaimers apply!

Check on starrnobella all over social media for teasers and other fun things that I share all the time.

Let me know what you think!

Love always,  
~starr

* * *

 _~ February 2008 ~_

The simple question took all of the wind out of her. Was there a possibility she was pregnant?

Hermione couldn't recall missing her last period, but everything at work had been so stressful lately. She probably would have just shrugged it off as late thinking it was because of work. The longer she thought about it, the more clear the realization became that it was entirely possible.

"Hermione?"

She heard her name, but she didn't acknowledge the person talking to her. Her thoughts had overtaken her nerves and it felt as though she was frozen in time. Her mind began racing toward every single negative thing that could result from an unplanned pregnancy at this point in her life.

Although, it wasn't completely unplanned. She and Draco had been planning to have kids, but they had planned to wait another year or two before they actively started trying. There were still so many things she wanted to accomplish in her young career before taking time off to raise a family.

The soft touch of the Mediwitch's hand on her arm brought her out of her thoughts. Slowly she turned to face the woman who was sitting across from her. "Sorry, I got lost in my thoughts."

"That's alright," Miriam replied with a smile. "I'm sure this wasn't what you were expecting to hear."

Hermione laughed softly and shook her head. "Honestly, I've been so busy with things at work that missing my period never even crossed my mind. It wasn't until I started waking up in the early morning hours to throw up that I even thought something was going on."

"You aren't the first person to think that, and I know you certainly won't be the last. Is there anyone you'd like to call right now?" Miriam asked.

"Not yet," Hermione replied quickly, shaking her head. "I want to know for sure before I tell Draco anything. Although, I'm guessing he already suspects something since it was his idea to come see you."

"You're probably right about that. Let me know if you change your mind about giving him a call. I'll be right back, just need to go get the test kit."

Hermione nodded her head. She took a deep breath and leaned back in the chair she had been sitting in as the door closed behind Miriam. How was she going to break the news to Draco that he was going to be a father? She knew it was going to be a difficult conversation regardless of the outcome of this test.

Was she really ready to be a mother? She wasn't even sure that she knew the answer to that question herself.

. . . . . . . .

 _~ September 2002 ~_

"Do you ever think about us having kids?" Hermione asked, placing the last of the dirty dinner dishes into the dishwasher.

He thought he heard what she said, but at the same time, he didn't think he had heard her correctly. Kids weren't on his radar just yet. If he was being honest with himself, he hadn't even thought about marriage just yet. He was content just getting through the regular day to day life at the moment.

Did he see Hermione in his future as his wife? Absolutely and if he looked a little further down the road, yes he did see kids in their future. Did he see himself being a good father to those kids? Not so much because he didn't have the best example of what a good father was supposed to be growing up.

"Draco?" she asked, turning to face him, "did you hear me?"

He nodded his head slowly, rather than speaking a response.

"Well?" she asked, a playful smile appearing on her face as she waited for an answer.

Draco reached out and took her hand, pulling her into his chest and wrapping his arms around her waist. He placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head and squeezed her tight. Taking a deep breath, he leaned back to look down at her. He found her beautiful brown eyes looking at him with a light that shone only for him. He smiled.

"Yes, I've thought about having kids with you," he said, his smile brightening as he watched the smile on her face grow bigger. "You aren't planning on having them any time soon though, are you?"

Hermione shook her head quickly. "Merlin, no. Ginny and I were just talking about how cute it would be for our kids to grow up and be best friends just like us at lunch today. And then it dawned on me that we've never really talked about what our future looks like together."

"I see," Draco replied, nodding his head slowly as his arms dropped from her waist and he interlaced his fingers with hers. Pulling her behind him, he led her into the sitting room and took a seat on the couch. Hermione sat down beside him and folded her hands into her lap.

"Yeah and in my mind, I always see us having a beautiful house, much smaller and homier than the mansion your parents live in, with a great big yard for the kids and dogs to play in," Hermione said softly, fussing mindlessly with the fabric at the hem of her shirt.

"Dogs?" he asked with a laugh.

She nodded her head up and down quickly. "Yup! At least three of them, maybe five."

He started to nod his head in agreement, but stopped suddenly when the realization of what she had just said sunk in. "Why would we need three, maybe five dogs?"

"Well, the three comes from the number of kids I'd like to have. I hated growing up as an only child, so I only had my cat to play with. And let me tell you, cats don't play well at all. They are quite lazy actually."

"So I've been told," he replied with a laugh. "I've heard that dogs are a little more playful. I didn't have any pets growing up."

"You didn't?" she asked, her voice coming across very shocked, bordering on being appalled at the thought. "So who did you play with?"

"I don't remember playing much," he said, running a nervous hand over the top of his head, carding his fingers through his hair. He looked over at her and saw a sadness overtake her face. "Don't go all sad puppy dog eyes on me."

"Why not? That's a really sad thing," she whined, pouting her lower lip slightly.

He shrugged as he let out a sigh. "It is what it is. I didn't know any better, so I can't really complain."

"Your childhood sounds like it was so depressing," Hermione said, reaching out and laying her hand on his, brushing the pad of her thumb against his skin.

"It wasn't all bad, but then again when you are the child of a known Death Eater, things are bound to be tough regardless of the lot you're dealt. I've been able to look past it now and on to brighter things. Like you," he said, flipping his hand over and interlacing his fingers with hers. "I can't wait to see what our future holds."

"I can't wait either," she said, leaning in and pressing her lips to his softly.

. . . . . . . . .

 _~ February 2008 ~_

"This will only pinch a little," Miriam said, rubbing a small circle on the inside of Hermione's elbow. "Once I get the blood sample, I'll take it into the other room and run a quick test and let you know the results."

"Okay," Hermione replied, nodding her head quickly. As she felt Miriam's other hand move away from her arm, she squeezed her eyes shut tight and turned her head to the side.

"Not a fan of needles?" Miriam asked, reaching for the syringe.

Shaking her head furiously, Hermione gritted her teeth as she felt the needle prick her skin. She took a deep breath and began counting down from ten as she waited for the torture to be over. She was a grown woman after all, what was so damn scary about a needle being shoved in her arm? Absolutely nothing. It was an irrational fear and there was nothing she could do about it.

"And we're done," Miriam announced as she set the vial of Hermione's blood down on the counter beside them before wiping off her arms with a wet sponge. She picked up a plaster and covered over the point of entry. "I'll be back in a few moments to let you know what we've found out. You should probably give your husband a call."

Thinking about it for a brief moment as Miriam made her way out of the room, Hermione nodded her head and reached for her purse. She dug around for a few moments until her hand landed on her mobile. He was probably waiting impatiently by his phone for her to call him anyways. She quickly dialed his number and waited for him to answer.

"Hermione, is everything okay?" his voice came through the phone laced with concern.

"It depends on how you take the news I'm about to get from the Mediwitch when she comes back," she replied, nervously twirling her hair between her fingers and worrying her lower lip.

"As long as you're okay, I don't think anything she has to say will not be okay," he told her. "What's going on? What's been causing you to be so sick lately?"

"She asked me if there was any chance I could be pregnant," her voice trailed off as she said that word out loud for the first time since Miriam had suggested it. She was met with silence on the other end of the phone.

Taking a deep breath, Hermione waited patiently for him to say something. The news had already sunk in with her, and she needed to give Draco time to allow it to sink in as well. Obviously this wasn't what either one of them expected when she left their flat this morning, but it was the reality of their situation right now. Based on the results that Miriam would return with shortly, her life could completely change. If she was pregnant, she just hoped that she and Draco were ready to be parents.

"Is there," his voice trailed off into a long exhale. Hermione closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Just as she opened her mouth to respond, she heard his voice through the speaker once again. "Which hospital are you at? I want to be there when she gives you the results."

"Draco, you don't ha-"

"I want to be there with you. I should have offered to come with you this morning, but I was being stupid," he said cutting her off. "So which hospital are you at? Nevermind. There's only one in London. I'll be there shortly."

"You don't even know which room I'm in," Hermione replied with a laugh.

"I'll figure it out," Draco answered. "I'll be there soon."

"Okay," she said. "I'll see you soon."

Just as she was about to lower the phone from her ear and return it to her bag, she heard him calling to her once more. "Yes?"

"I love you."

"I love you too."

She lowered the phone from her ear and reached for her bag. As she was sliding it into her bag, the door in front of her opened and Miriam returned to the room. In her hands was a pale blue folder with a few papers shoved inside.

Hermione took a deep breath and closed her eyes, rubbing her temples briefly. As she opened them, she noticed that Miriam had taken a seat on the stool next to the chair she was currently sitting on.

"Draco's on his way here," she blurted out as she watched Miriam start to say something.

Smiling, Miriam reached over and placed a gentle hand on Hermione's knee. "I figured he would be. This is something that affects both of you, so it's only right he's here. Have you two ever talked about having children?"

"Briefly," she replied with a shrug. "We want to have kids, we just weren't planning on it being so soon after we got married."

"How long have you two been married?"

"Six months."

"A happy six months, I hope?" The smile on Hermione's face said it all causing Miriam to chuckle softly. "Good to know. Am I right to guess that we want to wait for him to get here before I share what I've got inside this folder?"

Nodding her head, Hermione took a deep breath. "Yup, it shouldn't take him too long to get here. The Floo network works right?"

"Yes, yes it does. Would you like me to call out front to see if he's here yet?"

"Yes please."

"Alright, this should just take a moment," Miriam said, standing up from her chair and making her way over to the phone on the wall. Just as she was about to dial the front desk, there was a knock at the door.

She glanced back over her shoulder at Hermione and smiled. Reaching for the knob, she turned it slowly and pulled open the door. Standing on the other side of the door was Draco with an anxious look on his face.

"You must be Draco," Miriam said, extending a hand to him with a smile on her face. "My name is Miriam, I'm the Mediwitch who has been taking care of Hermione this morning. It's nice to meet you."

He shook her hand and returned the smile. "Nice to meet you." He quickly moved past her, stopping beside Hermione and wrapping a protective arm around her shoulders. He leaned down and pressed his lips to the top of her head. She rested her head against his side and smiled.

"Ready to find out what's inside the folder?" Miriam asked, taking a seat once again.

Hermione and Draco looked at each other quickly before turning back to Miriam and nodding their heads. They weren't sure if they were really ready, but there was no time like the present to find out the truth. No matter what the results showed, they were in this together.

She reached up and took Draco's hand in hers and squeezed it tightly. Closing her eyes, she waited for Miriam to speak, holding her breath.

"The test came back positive," Miriam announced.

Exhaling sharply, Hermione turned her face into Draco's side and wrapped her arm around his waist. She could feel the tears starting to roll down her cheek, but she knew they weren't tears of sadness. She took a deep breath before pulling back from Draco's side and looking up at him with a smile on her face when she noticed he was looking back at her with a smile of his own.

"I'll leave you two to talk about all of this and return to start the paperwork in a little bit," Miriam said, turning toward the door. "Congratulations, I know you both will make wonderful parents."

With that said, she left them alone. For a few moments, they remained in silence. Each one trying to wrap their minds around what they had just found out. This was about to be the scariest, most exciting time of their lives. Even if they weren't entirely sure they were ready.

"Do you think we can do this?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Taking a step around her, Draco kneeled down in front of her and took her hands in his. He brought them to his lips and kissed them gently before lifting his eyes to meet hers. Finding that she wasn't looking at him, he reached a hand up to her chin and turned her face toward him. As her face moved, her eyes fluttered open and caught his.

"Yes I think we can do this, as long as we do it together," Draco said as he rubbed his thumb over her cheek. "You will be an amazing mother to make up for any mistakes I make as the baby's father."

"You are going to be an amazing dad. Don't sell yourself short," she replied, turning her head to kiss the palm of his hand. "You aren't Lucius."

"I know, but I'm fruit of the poisoned tree," he huffed, hanging his head slightly only to have it caught by her hand tipping his chin and lifting his head back up to look at him. She noticed a few tears beginning to form in the corners of his eyes, so she moved her hands up to cup his cheeks and brush away the tears with the pad of her thumbs.

"So don't let your childhood dictate your future and how you plan to raise your own children," she whispered, leaning in to press her forehead against his. She sighed and closed her eyes.

"I'm scared, Hermione," he whispered softly.

"I am too, but together," she said as her eyes fluttered open to meet his, "we'll raise this child to be the best they can be. Even if we make a few mistakes along the way."


	12. Confrontation

**A/N:** I have no true excuses for why this story or any of my other stories haven't been updated lately, so I won't make any excuses and I can't really apologize either. I started Grad School in the fall and a lot of other things have been going on so fic writing had to take a back seat.

But here is the next installment to this complicated tale. Thank you to those who have continued to favorite or follow this story along the way. I greatly appreciate it!

If you are interested in checking me out on social media, just search my penname and I'll come up.

This chapter was beta read by Grammarly, so I apologize for any glaring typos.

Love always,  
~starr

* * *

 _~ April 2020 ~_

"Hello, Malfoy."

The sound of his voice sent a shiver down Draco's spine. His mind was flooded with memories of their time at Hogwarts, and he could feel his blood start to boil under his skin. The hatred he felt for the man standing in front of him was like no other, but he knew that he couldn't act on it. Kingsley was trying to make his job easier by giving him a partner, but why it had to be the Weasel, Draco would never know.

"Weasley," Draco acknowledged him with a nod, ushering him into the hotel room. "We have a lot to discuss before morning, and I'm sure you'd like to get a few hours of sleep, so the quicker we get started, the quicker you can return to your room."

Ron smirked and carded a hand through his hair as he stepped inside carrying his rucksack with him. Placing the bag on the floor just inside the door, he turned to Draco and smiled widely. "I'm already in my room."

"You've got to be kidding me," Draco mumbled under his breath as he slowly closed the door and rested his forehead against the cool wood. Kingsley was trying to torture him at this point. Secretly he had hoped that the spare room attached to the suite was just there because it was the only room that the Ministry could book at the time. He was slowly beginning to see the errors in his way of thinking.

"Now why would I kid about something like this, Malfoy? It makes it all the more entertaining to watch you squirm." The smirk on Ron's face had grown into a bold-faced grin as he took up a seat on the empty bed across the room. "Care to fill me in on the case?"

Fighting the urge to roll his eyes, Draco took a deep breath and turned to face Ron. As he noticed the smirk on the bloke's face, his eyes rolled, and he shook his head. Of course, Ron would be enjoying this. Draco had been able to get away from him when he went out on this case, but now Kingsley was just out to fuck with him for no apparent reason. "The file's on the table. I have to step out for a few moments. You can ask me whatever questions you have about the case when I come back."

Draco reached for the doorknob behind him and was turning towards the door when he heard Ron start snickering from the other side of the room. Slowly he turned the knob to the side and started pulling the door toward him.

"Typical Slytherin. They always run away from an argument," Ron teased, collapsing back on the bed.

"At least I don't overreact to a simple friendship between two people and have a jealous tantrum when someone pokes a little fun at my expense," Draco replied, walking out of the door and slamming it shut behind him. Just outside the door, he leaned back against the door and carded his hands through his hair.

It was times like this that he could use his wife. Why the hell Kingsley had to keep them separated was beyond him. All he could do right now was wait for her next letter. She should have been settling into her next hotel and getting ready for yet another meeting with another Ministry bigwig that Draco had never heard of until now.

Taking one more deep breath, he pushed himself off the wall and made his way down the hallway. If he was expected to put up with the Weasel for the remainder of this assignment, then he was going to have to find a decent pub somewhere around here and each of the following cities that Kingsley shipped them off to for more useless interviews.

He arrived at the front desk of the hotel and found no one standing behind the desk. He shook his head momentarily as he contemplated just facing the cold and wandering the streets of London until he found a place that seemed appealing to him. Noticing the small silver bell out of the corner of his eye, Draco reached over and pressed the button on top. A shrill noise rang through the air, and suddenly he heard the shuffling of feet coming from the other side of the door just beyond the desk.

Appearing through the door was a skinny little chap with glasses and an underbite. Draco furrowed his brow as he pushed the thought aside. The fact that he even knew what one of those was meant that he was spending too much time listening to Hermione talk about the job her parents did in the Muggle world. He knew they worked with teeth, but the exact title escaped him.

"Can I help you sir?" he asked, pushing his glasses up on his nose.

"I was wondering if you could recommend a local pub that I could get a decent drink at," Draco replied, leaning forward to rest his arm on the counter.

"Ah yes, local pubs. Uhm," the lad said, looking around the space behind the counter. "Give me one moment."

Draco nodded and watched as he walked over to the computer behind the desk. He chuckled to himself as he watched the poor boy struggle to get it to do exactly what he wanted it too and he could tell that he was getting very frustrated.

Slipping his hand into his pocket, Draco extracted his mobile device and began scrolling through the internet function that Hermione had shown him before she had left. He didn't trust muggle technology, but at a time like this, it was going to be a must if he wanted to get a decent drink before midnight.

"Don't worry about it," Draco said, smiling kindly at the young man. "I think I'd rather just go for a walk this evening and clear my head. If I stumble upon a good place, then I'll take it as a good omen. Thank you for your help."

"Not a problem sir," he replied, interlacing his fingers in front of him. "Have a good evening."

. . . . . . . . .

Ron glanced at the stack of files strewn across the table opposite him. It appeared that Draco had actually been hard at work and Kingsley still thought he needed assistance. He was curious as to what had happened that Kingsley felt as though Malfoy couldn't handle it on his own. If Ron was honest with himself, Malfoy was one of the best Aurors on the force and deserved the Head Auror position, not that he'd ever admitted that out loud.

He needed to do something more than just lay here on the bed in this empty room. The spat with Malfoy had been unexpected, but at the same time it needed to establish some kind of normalcy between the two of them.

Neither had said much to one another outside of the camaraderie that was required to get through a work shift. The last time Ron could recall speaking to Draco about something other than work was not long after Draco had gotten his promotion. The pair had gotten into a spat about something so stupid that it had also put a strain on his friendship with Hermione in the process.

There wasn't a day gone by that she didn't cross his mind. She was the one person who seemed to understand him, no matter how bad things got between them. He knew he could go to her with anyone, or at least that used to be the way it was. Ever since she had found him in the darkness of his apartment things hadn't been the same. The day itself was still fuzzy in his mind, but he could remember the fighting that led up to her walking out of the door.

Part of him would give anything to go back in time and change how that entire day went down, but he knew it was too late. There was nothing he could do.

. . . . . . . . .

 _~ January 2018 ~_

"What are you doing here, 'Mione?" he asked, lifting the bottle to his lips taking a long swig of the amber liquid housed inside. He watched as she fought the urge to roll her eyes and he smiled. She didn't want to be here any more than he wanted her here in the capacity that she was here. "Why didn't ferret-face come on his own? He's my boss now, isn't he? So he should be the one tracking down his employees."

"As you'd listen to anything he had to say if he did come to get your sorry arse," she grumbled, shaking her head as she crossed her arms over her chest. A shiver ran down her spine as she looked at the pathetic excuse for a man that was standing in front of her. "He doesn't want to fight with you; he just wants to get the job done. If you aren't doing your part, how the bloody hell is he supposed to his job?"

"Who bloody cares? If I were that big of a problem, then he'd fire me," Ron replied, rolling his eyes as he lifted the bottle to his lips once again.

"You think he hasn't considered it?" Hermione shouted, jumping up out of the chair she had been sitting on. She ran a hand through her tangled mane of hair as she thought about what she was going to say next.

Ron wasn't sure why she was so adamant on defending ferret-face to him right now because she of all people should have known better. There was nothing she could say or do that would make him want to do anything to make Malfoy's life easier. That person had made his life a living hell for eight years at Hogwarts, and there was no possible way for him to get that time back.

Ron had been able to forgive a lot about his time at Hogwarts, chalking it up to the fact that they were all suffering from the war, but that didn't excuse what happened between him and Hermione and how Draco was involved. He had broken the two of them up for crying out loud, how did Hermione expect him to forgive him for that?

"I'm not going back into work to save Malfoy's arse. Sorry but it's not happening," Ron said, shaking his head furiously as he down the last of the bottle in his hands. He frowned when he realized no more was coming out, so he tossed the empty bottle behind the couch and walked out of the living room and into the kitchen.

Opening up the refrigerator, he scanned it for something else to drink. He spotted an unopened bottle in the back and smiled. He reached inside and took the bottle out. Quickly popping the top off before turning back to face Hermione. "I'd offer you something to drink, but I know you aren't much of a drinker anymore. But if I'm incorrect, I'd be happy to share."

"No thank you, Ronald," Hermione said, her voice was cold and distant. This wasn't why she was here and in all honesty, she wasn't sure why she had bothered coming at all. "Look, me coming here was a mistake. Nothing I can say will change your mind about doing your job. When you decide you want to grow up and move past this petty feud you've got going with Draco and me, we'll be happy to talk. Until then, you might want to consider rethinking your career choice."

She made her way toward the door, and as she reached out for the doorknob, she turned back to look at him one more time. "You're a great Auror, Ron. If only your temper wouldn't get in the way of greatness. The Ministry is lucky to have you on the staff, but if this is something you just can't look past, then I guess we'll be sad to see you go."

He just looked at her with a confused daze on his face. She assumed that it was probably the copious amounts of alcohol that he had consumed before her arrival. She shook her head and pulled the door open, letting herself out. "Hopefully we'll see you at work tomorrow, but I guess I'd understand if we don't."

The door closed loudly behind her and Ron just stared into the emptiness of his apartment. Even as his boss, Hermione had never told him that the Ministry was lucky to have him on staff. Compliments like that were normally reserved for Draco and Harry, but never him. Why was she telling him that now? Was it to manipulate him into coming back or did she mean it?

There was only one way for him to find out the truth. Well, the more he thought about it, there were two ways, but there was no way she'd talk to him now. He had been a right arse about the whole situation, and now he'd have to make it up to her. Taking one last swig out of the bottle, he returned it to the fridge. If he were going to make it into work tomorrow, then he'd have to start sobering up now.

. . . . . . . . .

There was a buzz about the office when she walked down the hallway the next morning, almost as though something completely out of the ordinary had happened and that was the only thing that mattered. Hermione looked around at her coworkers and smiled proudly as she noticed the happy faces on everyone inside. However, she couldn't help but notice when every so often, a crew of them would stop talking to each other to just look at her as she walked past.

As she rounded the corner towards her office, she bumped into someone rather unexpected. Startled by the collision, Hermione took a cautious step back and nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Slowly she lifted her eyes from the ground as she spoke to make eye contact. "I'm so sorry. I must not have been paying attent-, Ronald."

Her voice was soft, and a smile toyed at the corners of her lips. Something that she hadn't done for him in a long time was a smile, and it brought a smile to his lips.

"Don't worry about it, Hermione. I should have known better than to come around this corner without looking for your massive mane coming in the same direction," he replied, chuckling softly.

Hermione rolled her eyes and nodded. "I deserved that, but I really must be going. I've got a meeting with Kingsley and Yaxley about a lead on a case."

"I thought you quit the Auror department," Ron replied.

"I could never truly leave my boys," Hermione cheered. "I'll catch up with you later. It's good to see you back. Make sure you let Draco know you've returned."

"Can't you do it?"

"That's not part of my job, Weasley. Now be a big boy and talk to him. He doesn't bite unless you ask for it."

"And that's something I didn't need to know about my ex-girlfriend and her husband."

. . . . . . . . .

 _~ April 2020 ~_

Ron picked up the file off the table and carried it back to his bed. He didn't have any interest in reading it, but at this point, he couldn't discuss the case with Malfoy because he wasn't here. Maybe he'd be able to make sense of these notes, but without the original Auror on the case here, translation of this chicken scratch may prove to be a little difficult.

"How the hell can 'Mione read anything he writes to her?" he mumbled to himself, lowering the file away from his face and slowly pulling it back up. Maybe his eyes just needed a moment or two to readjust, and he'd be able to figure it out, but at this point, it wasn't looking good.

He scanned over the typed up information quickly and began attempting to skim over the notes that were scattered all over the margins of the pieces of paper. Every couple of lines or so, he would find a sticky note covering a large portion of the text. He would curse under his breath as he peeled up the note and relocated it to another portion of the page. On occasion, he would move the note on top of something he hadn't read yet and would need to move it again.

Anyone who would have walked in on him skimming through this file would have had a right old chuckle at his frustrations, but he wasn't having any of it. This was getting obnoxious, and it was completely pointless if he couldn't plan a course of action for the remainder of this case. Where was the bloody hell Malfoy?

Almost as if on cue, the door to their suite opened and in walked Draco Malfoy. He was wearing a smile on his face and had a doggie bag in hand. Ron rolled his eyes and pushed himself up of the bed, crossing the length of the room.

"Where the hell have you been?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest and tapping his foot angrily on the ground. "It's not like we have a case or anything that we might want to discuss before morning or anything."

"I was out burning off some steam," Draco replied with a shrug, pushing past Ron and making his way toward the mini fridge in the room. He placed his food inside and walked over to the table where the files were laying. "I see you've taken the time to look over the file already. That's a good start."

"Not that I could interpret your chicken scratch," Ron grumbled.

"Don't start with me, Weasley. Neither of us wants to be here, and I'm sure we've both got better things that we could be doing, but we are supposedly adults, and we should be able to behave as such," Draco scoffed, taking a seat at the table and straightening up the files as they laid on the table. "Do you have any questions about the pieces you could read?"

"Where was the last sighting of Smith in London? That was the one thing I couldn't find in my brief skimming of the file," Ron answered, returning to the table and taking a seat opposite of Draco.

"None of my contacts were able to give me a location, so I'm not even sure that he's been here at all. Even the sympathizers have been pretty quiet on the Smith front," Draco replied, shrugging his shoulders.

"So we could be wasting everyone's time by looking in London," Ron said, shaking his head. "That's just great."

Draco chuckled to himself. "So Kingsley didn't tell you. Good to know."

"What didn't he tell me?"

"That we aren't staying in London after tonight."

"So where are we going then?"

"D.C. There's a rumor that there's a syndicate of sympathizers gathering there over the next couple of days. We might be able to shake a few of them who are still on the fence off and get them to talk to us."

"You sure sound hopeful."

"That's the only way that I can be with all of this."

"So we're going to D.C. This should be interesting."


End file.
